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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. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. object — to protest
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. spring — a coil
  5. spring — the season
  6. branch — a division
  7. march — the month
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. plane — a tool
  11. march — music
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. object — an aim
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. ball — a great time
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. object — a thing
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. ball — a dance
  24. march — the month

Multiple-meaning words list

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

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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