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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 116 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 assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. branch — a division
  4. hand — help
  5. present — the time now
  6. spring — of water
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. spring — the season
  9. hand — in cards
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. mark — a trace
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. fine — high quality
  17. present — a gift
  18. rash — hasty
  19. rash — a series
  20. present — there
  21. spring — a coil
  22. rush — hurry
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. mark — a grade

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