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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 116 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. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  14. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. file — a tool
  5. file — a document
  6. bank — for money
  7. file — a line of people
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. branch — a division
  10. row — to paddle
  11. spring — the season
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. bank — of a river
  14. bank — for money
  15. row — a line
  16. rule — government
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. deal — to handle
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. spring — a coil
  23. rule — a law
  24. deal — a big deal

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