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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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. ground — a position
  3. tube — the underground
  4. rest — what's left
  5. spring — the season
  6. cap — a lid
  7. cap — of ice
  8. vault — an arched ceiling
  9. bass — the fish
  10. tube — a container
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. cap — a hat
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. ground — crushed
  16. rest — a break
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. bass — low music
  19. vault — a safe
  20. ground — the earth
  21. rest — what's left
  22. spring — of water
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. branch — a division

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