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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. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. rash — hasty
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. spring — of water
  5. spring — the season
  6. rule — a law
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. branch — a division
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. scale — in music
  12. can — to be able to
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. spring — a coil
  15. rash — a series
  16. staff — employees
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. rule — government
  19. staff — employees
  20. mouse — for a computer
  21. scale — size or range
  22. can — a tin
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. staff — a stick

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