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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 116 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: rule · bowl · tube · pass · ground · spring · branch · game

  1. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  17. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. game — wild animals
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. spring — the season
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. spring — a coil
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. spring — of water
  12. pass — a permit
  13. ground — a position
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. rule — a law
  16. pass — to succeed
  17. rule — government
  18. tube — the underground
  19. branch — a division
  20. ground — the earth
  21. ground — crushed
  22. game — a match
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. bowl — a dish

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