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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. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. rest — a break
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. net — for catching
  5. spring — of water
  6. net — in sport
  7. face — to confront
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. spring — the season
  10. branch — a division
  11. net — after costs
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. rest — what's left
  14. bear — the animal
  15. face — part of the head
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. face — to point toward
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. spell — letters
  20. spell — magic
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. spring — a coil
  23. spell — a short time
  24. rest — what's left

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