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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. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. land — to come down
  4. branch — a division
  5. fall — the season
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. pop — to visit
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. mine — for digging
  10. bulb — for light
  11. pop — music
  12. land — a country
  13. fall — to drop
  14. bulb — for light
  15. spring — the season
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. spring — of water
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. fall — to drop
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. pop — soda
  22. spring — a coil
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. land — ground

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