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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: wake · branch · cap · suit · spring · deal · toast · cell

  1. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. When will it ________________ you to start?
  24. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. cell — a phone
  3. toast — bread
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. cap — a hat
  8. suit — clothes
  9. spring — of water
  10. toast — the most admired
  11. cap — a lid
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. wake — a trail
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. toast — a drink to someone
  17. cap — of ice
  18. suit — in cards
  19. branch — a division
  20. spring — a coil
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. cell — in biology
  23. suit — to fit
  24. deal — to handle

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