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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 120 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 · lie · branch · wind · saw · capital · deal · ground

  1. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. capital — a city
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. wind — moving air
  7. deal — to handle
  8. lie — to recline
  9. spring — a coil
  10. ground — the earth
  11. saw — the tool
  12. branch — a division
  13. ground — crushed
  14. capital — money
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. wind — moving air
  18. spring — the season
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. ground — a position
  23. saw — the tool
  24. spring — of water

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