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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. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. bound — certain
  5. bound — tied together
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. bank — of a river
  8. stock — goods
  9. spring — a coil
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. hand — help
  12. race — a contest
  13. race — the arms race
  14. bank — for money
  15. stock — shares
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. fork — in a road
  18. hand — in cards
  19. race — humankind
  20. branch — a division
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. spring — of water
  23. bank — for money
  24. bound — obliged

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