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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 flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  4. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. When will it ________________ you to start?
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. current — electric
  3. stick — to attach or keep to
  4. suit — clothes
  5. current — happening now
  6. scale — in music
  7. scale — size or range
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. squash — the sport
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. spring — a coil
  14. suit — in cards
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. current — of water
  17. squash — to crush
  18. branch — a division
  19. suit — to fit
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. chair — a leader
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. spring — of water

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