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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. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  11. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  22. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  23. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. spring — of water
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. toast — the most admired
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. toast — a drink to someone
  11. toast — bread
  12. snap — to click
  13. cold — an illness
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. spring — a coil
  16. branch — a division
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. cold — not warm
  21. object — an aim
  22. object — a thing
  23. object — to protest
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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