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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 120 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 flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. Take your time. There's no ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. key — in music
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. spring — a coil
  9. key — for a lock
  10. branch — a division
  11. land — a country
  12. land — ground
  13. key — the most important part
  14. spring — of water
  15. root — the cause
  16. row — a line
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. land — to come down
  19. root — of a plant
  20. row — to paddle
  21. root — of a word
  22. arm — a part of something
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. rush — hurry

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