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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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Word bank
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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 seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. key — for a lock
  4. key — the most important part
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. rash — hasty
  7. fall — to drop
  8. fork — in a road
  9. branch — a division
  10. fall — the season
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. spring — of water
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. dip — to sink
  15. key — in music
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. fall — to drop
  18. rash — a series
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. spring — the season
  21. tube — the underground
  22. spring — a coil
  23. dip — to dunk
  24. tube — a container

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