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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: toast · fall · pound · rule · branch · spring · bulb · capital

  1. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  2. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. rule — to rule out
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. bulb — for light
  5. spring — a coil
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. branch — a division
  8. pound — a weight
  9. toast — bread
  10. spring — the season
  11. spring — of water
  12. bulb — for light
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. capital — a city
  15. rule — government
  16. toast — a drink to someone
  17. fall — to drop
  18. toast — the most admired
  19. capital — money
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. fall — to drop
  22. rule — a law
  23. fall — the season
  24. branch — of a bank

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