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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 hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. branch — a division
  4. lean — to bend
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. wind — moving air
  7. mate — a partner
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. mate — to breed
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. sharp — clever
  12. rock — music
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. rock — a stone
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. spring — the season
  17. dip — to sink
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. mate — a friend
  20. lean — thin
  21. wind — moving air
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. spring — a coil

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