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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. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a bank
  2. cue — a signal
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. land — a country
  5. cue — a hint
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. spring — the season
  8. spring — of water
  9. cue — for pool
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. land — to come down
  12. land — ground
  13. branch — a division
  14. capital — money
  15. fall — the season
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. spring — a coil
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. fall — to drop
  20. capital — a city
  21. fall — to drop
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. capital — a big letter

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