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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 120 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 hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. drill — a practice
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. rule — a law
  6. branch — a division
  7. dip — to sink
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. face — to confront
  11. spring — a coil
  12. spring — the season
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. drill — army training
  15. pit — in a race
  16. rule — government
  17. face — part of the head
  18. face — to point toward
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. drill — the tool
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. pit — a hole
  24. branch — of a tree

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