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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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: bear · bound · spring · plane · content · lean · branch · capital

  1. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. spring — a coil
  3. lean — to bend
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. plane — in geometry
  6. content — the amount
  7. capital — a city
  8. spring — of water
  9. bound — certain
  10. lean — thin
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. branch — a division
  15. bound — tied together
  16. capital — money
  17. bound — obliged
  18. plane — a tool
  19. bear — the animal
  20. bear — the animal
  21. content — happy
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. spring — the season

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