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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. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  13. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  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. rash — hasty
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. spring — the season
  4. spring — of water
  5. rest — what's left
  6. bound — tied together
  7. content — the amount
  8. rest — what's left
  9. branch — a division
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. safe — a strongbox
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. rash — a series
  18. content — happy
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. rest — a break
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. bound — certain
  23. bound — obliged
  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