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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. The tickets are free of ________________.
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. charge — in control
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. charge — electricity
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. deal — to handle
  8. root — of a word
  9. cold — not warm
  10. root — of a plant
  11. face — to confront
  12. face — part of the head
  13. spring — a coil
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. branch — a division
  17. root — the cause
  18. cold — an illness
  19. stock — goods
  20. stock — shares
  21. face — to point toward
  22. spring — the season
  23. charge — a price
  24. cold — the Cold War

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com