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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. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — a company
  2. capital — money
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. firm — steady
  5. scale — size or range
  6. spring — a coil
  7. rest — a break
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. spring — of water
  11. rest — what's left
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. rest — what's left
  15. capital — a city
  16. branch — a division
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. scale — in music
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. firm — decided
  24. spring — the season

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