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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 116 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. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. land — to come down
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. mate — to breed
  5. mug — a cup
  6. branch — a division
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. board — a committee
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. pit — in a race
  11. land — ground
  12. spring — a coil
  13. ground — a position
  14. mug — to rob
  15. mate — a friend
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. land — a country
  18. spring — of water
  19. board — to get on
  20. pit — a hole
  21. ground — crushed
  22. mug — a face
  23. spring — the season
  24. ground — the earth

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