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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 120 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 hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. capital — money
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. branch — a division
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. capital — a city
  9. spring — the season
  10. kid — to tease
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. chair — a leader
  16. deal — to handle
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. track — a song
  19. track — a path
  20. kid — child
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. spring — a coil
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. track — to keep track

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