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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. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. spring — the season
  5. march — music
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. branch — a division
  9. tube — a container
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. saw — the tool
  12. saw — the tool
  13. spring — a coil
  14. can — a tin
  15. mine — for digging
  16. can — a tin
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. march — the month
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. can — to be able to
  22. tube — the underground
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. march — the month

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