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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. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — steady
  2. spring — a coil
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. firm — decided
  5. hand — in cards
  6. pass — to spend time
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. spring — the season
  9. branch — a division
  10. pass — a permit
  11. spring — of water
  12. pass — to succeed
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. firm — a company
  18. squash — the sport
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. hand — help
  21. squash — to crush
  22. mine — for digging
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. branch — of a tree

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