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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 124 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. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. You can't go backstage without a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. current — electric
  3. prune — to trim
  4. march — the month
  5. current — of water
  6. current — happening now
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. march — the month
  9. toast — the most admired
  10. branch — a division
  11. pass — to succeed
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. toast — a drink to someone
  15. spring — a coil
  16. bore — to tire
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. toast — bread
  19. spring — the season
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. prune — to trim
  22. march — music
  23. bore — to drill
  24. pass — a permit

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