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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. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. Have you settled on a ________________?
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  11. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  15. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — steady
  2. spring — the season
  3. ground — the earth
  4. ground — a position
  5. spring — of water
  6. fall — to drop
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. spring — a coil
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. date — the fruit
  11. firm — a company
  12. ground — crushed
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. firm — decided
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. fall — to drop
  17. fall — the season
  18. board — to get on
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. branch — a division
  22. board — a committee
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. kick — in football

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