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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.

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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. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. march — the month
  4. club — a group
  5. face — to confront
  6. current — happening now
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. current — of water
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. club — for dancing
  12. march — music
  13. face — to point toward
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. march — the month
  16. club — for golf
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. face — part of the head
  19. current — electric
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. spring — a coil
  22. deal — to handle
  23. spring — of water
  24. branch — a division

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