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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 116 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 hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  23. I can't ________________ this cold.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. mate — a partner
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. chair — a leader
  5. fine — all right
  6. branch — a division
  7. row — to paddle
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. mate — a friend
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. bear — the animal
  12. row — a line
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. bear — the animal
  15. stand — on your feet
  16. spring — a coil
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. fine — high quality
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. mate — to breed
  22. stand — for spectators
  23. stand — to bear
  24. spring — the season

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