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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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. When was this ________________ built?
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. saw — the tool
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. spring — of water
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. cue — a hint
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. stock — shares
  13. stock — goods
  14. saw — the tool
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. cue — for pool
  17. branch — a division
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. tube — the underground
  20. cue — a signal
  21. spring — the season
  22. tube — a container
  23. wave — of the sea
  24. stock — a soup base

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