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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 flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  7. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  10. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  18. My mare is ________________ in color.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. spell — letters
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. land — a country
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. wave — of the sea
  7. wave — with your hand
  8. stock — shares
  9. bay — to keep at bay
  10. wave — a sudden rise
  11. stock — goods
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. spring — a coil
  14. land — to come down
  15. spell — magic
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. bay — a part of the sea
  18. bay — a horse colour
  19. spell — a short time
  20. spring — of water
  21. land — ground
  22. branch — a division
  23. wound — an injury
  24. wound — an injury

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