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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. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. staff — employees
  3. spring — the season
  4. branch — a division
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. land — a country
  8. staff — a stick
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. rule — a law
  11. bear — the animal
  12. spring — of water
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. hand — help
  15. spring — a coil
  16. can — to be able to
  17. land — to come down
  18. rule — government
  19. can — a tin
  20. can — a tin
  21. staff — employees
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. land — ground
  24. hand — in cards

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