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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. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. branch — a division
  3. mate — to breed
  4. mate — a friend
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. bank — of a river
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. bank — for money
  9. key — for a lock
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. spring — a coil
  12. game — a match
  13. file — a document
  14. file — a line of people
  15. key — the most important part
  16. mate — a partner
  17. spring — of water
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. key — in music
  22. file — a tool
  23. spring — the season
  24. game — wild animals

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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