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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. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. spell — a short time
  3. spring — a coil
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. court — for sport
  6. spring — the season
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. file — a document
  9. file — a line of people
  10. court — of law
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. land — a country
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. spell — letters
  17. spring — of water
  18. spell — magic
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. land — to come down
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. file — a tool
  23. court — of a king
  24. land — ground

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