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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. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  24. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — of a river
  2. capital — money
  3. spring — the season
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. board — a committee
  8. capital — a city
  9. bank — for money
  10. spring — a coil
  11. board — to get on
  12. track — to keep track
  13. fork — in a road
  14. bank — for money
  15. stem — to come from
  16. spring — of water
  17. cell — a phone
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. cell — in biology
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. track — a song
  22. track — a path
  23. fork — a garden tool
  24. fork — to eat with

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