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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. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  20. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  21. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  22. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. branch — a division
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. tear — from crying
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. tear — to rip
  7. bank — for money
  8. spring — a coil
  9. band — a music group
  10. tear — from crying
  11. mug — a cup
  12. bank — of a river
  13. spell — magic
  14. mug — to rob
  15. spell — letters
  16. spring — of water
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. spell — a short time
  19. bank — for money
  20. pass — a permit
  21. mug — a face
  22. pass — to succeed
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. band — a ring

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