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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. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. spring — the season
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. capital — money
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. rash — a series
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. spring — of water
  11. mark — a grade
  12. safe — a strongbox
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. branch — a division
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. spring — a coil
  19. wake — a trail
  20. mark — a trace
  21. capital — a city
  22. dip — to sink
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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