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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. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. We're on a ________________ here.
  5. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  6. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  9. The tickets are free of ________________.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. fall — to drop
  3. spring — of water
  4. roll — on a roll
  5. bank — for money
  6. roll — a list
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. bank — of a river
  9. charge — a price
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. fall — to drop
  12. spring — the season
  13. roll — a cake
  14. bark — to shout
  15. charge — electricity
  16. fall — the season
  17. charge — in control
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. bank — for money
  20. cell — in biology
  21. branch — a division
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. spring — a coil
  24. branch — of a bank

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