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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. branch — a division
  8. spring — a coil
  9. jam — a tight spot
  10. content — the amount
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. spring — of water
  14. kick — in football
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. jam — in traffic
  17. content — happy
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. bowl — a football final
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. jam — to spread on bread
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. wind — moving air
  24. wind — moving air

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