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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: deal · spring · cell · branch · saw · ball · roll · bat

  1. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. We're on a ________________ here.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a tree
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. ball — a great time
  5. ball — a dance
  6. spring — the season
  7. cell — in biology
  8. bat — the animal
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. spring — of water
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. branch — a division
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. cell — a phone
  15. roll — on a roll
  16. deal — to handle
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. saw — the tool
  19. roll — a list
  20. saw — the tool
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. spring — a coil
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. roll — a cake

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