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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. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  6. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  21. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  22. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. spring — of water
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. branch — a division
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. firm — steady
  7. shower — to wash
  8. capital — a city
  9. spring — a coil
  10. firm — a company
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. shower — rain
  13. tube — a container
  14. stem — to come from
  15. tube — the underground
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. spring — the season
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. firm — decided
  22. ruler — a monarch
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. stem — of a plant

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