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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 124 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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  3. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  13. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. toast — the most admired
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. toast — a drink to someone
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. staff — employees
  8. spring — the season
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. season — in sport
  12. ruler — a monarch
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. branch — a division
  15. toast — bread
  16. root — of a plant
  17. stock — goods
  18. staff — a stick
  19. root — of a word
  20. spring — of water
  21. spring — a coil
  22. stock — shares
  23. staff — employees
  24. root — the cause

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