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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. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  9. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  22. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — the most admired
  2. branch — a division
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. key — in music
  5. key — for a lock
  6. spring — a coil
  7. drill — a practice
  8. jam — a tight spot
  9. jam — in traffic
  10. chest — of your body
  11. spring — the season
  12. chest — a box
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. toast — a drink to someone
  16. drill — army training
  17. chest — of your body
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. spring — of water
  20. key — the most important part
  21. toast — bread
  22. jam — to spread on bread
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. drill — the tool

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