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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: staff · spring · bulb · coach · sharp · rule · branch · present

  1. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. present — there
  4. staff — employees
  5. spring — of water
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. staff — employees
  9. spring — a coil
  10. branch — a division
  11. rule — a law
  12. rule — government
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. bulb — for light
  15. sharp — clever
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. bulb — for light
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. present — the time now
  21. spring — the season
  22. present — a gift
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. sharp — with an edge

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