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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: spring · cell · branch · bore · court · saw · key · stick

  1. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. branch — a division
  3. key — for a lock
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. court — of a king
  9. bore — to tire
  10. spring — the season
  11. bore — to drill
  12. cell — in biology
  13. key — the most important part
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. spring — a coil
  18. court — for sport
  19. spring — of water
  20. court — of law
  21. key — in music
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. saw — the tool
  24. saw — the tool

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