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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. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. I can't ________________ this cold.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. spring — a coil
  3. staff — employees
  4. spring — the season
  5. bound — obliged
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. bound — tied together
  8. tear — from crying
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. tear — from crying
  11. bound — certain
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. spring — of water
  15. stand — on your feet
  16. ball — a great time
  17. ball — a dance
  18. stand — for spectators
  19. staff — a stick
  20. stand — to bear
  21. dip — to sink
  22. staff — employees
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. tear — to rip

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