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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. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. spring — of water
  3. object — a thing
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. object — to protest
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. rush — hurry
  9. spring — a coil
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. branch — a division
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. hand — help
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. can — a tin
  16. hand — in cards
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. spring — the season
  20. object — an aim
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. fork — in a road
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. can — a tin

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