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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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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: face · bear · tube · branch · ruler · ground · wind · spring

  1. There's no middle ________________.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. tube — the underground
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. face — to confront
  8. ground — the earth
  9. face — to point toward
  10. spring — a coil
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. wind — moving air
  13. branch — a division
  14. ruler — a monarch
  15. bear — the animal
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. spring — of water
  19. ground — crushed
  20. face — part of the head
  21. wind — moving air
  22. bear — the animal
  23. tube — a container
  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