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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 120 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. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a bank
  2. spring — the season
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. cell — in biology
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. bank — for money
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. spring — of water
  12. wind — moving air
  13. branch — a division
  14. bank — of a river
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. bass — the fish
  17. fork — in a road
  18. pit — in a race
  19. spring — a coil
  20. bass — low music
  21. bank — for money
  22. wind — moving air
  23. pit — a hole
  24. cell — a phone

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