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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. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — a cupboard
  2. cell — a phone
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. current — electric
  6. branch — a division
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. current — happening now
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. spring — of water
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. cell — in biology
  14. current — of water
  15. swing — to play on
  16. swing — in golf
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. mate — a friend
  19. mate — a partner
  20. swing — music
  21. mate — to breed
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. spring — the season
  24. spring — a coil

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