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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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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 · pop · jam · game · straw · lie · branch · rest

  1. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. Tom got himself in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — to recline
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. jam — to spread on bread
  5. spring — of water
  6. rest — what's left
  7. spring — the season
  8. pop — music
  9. pop — soda
  10. rest — what's left
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. jam — in traffic
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. game — a match
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. branch — a division
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. game — wild animals
  20. spring — a coil
  21. rest — a break
  22. pop — to visit
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. jam — a tight spot

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