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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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468
Word bank
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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. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. bass — low music
  3. track — to keep track
  4. bass — the fish
  5. spring — the season
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. spring — of water
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. track — a song
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. wind — moving air
  17. rest — what's left
  18. season — in sport
  19. track — a path
  20. season — of the year
  21. rest — a break
  22. rest — what's left
  23. spring — a coil
  24. wind — moving air

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