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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: spring · suit · race · tube · rock · branch · court · fall

  1. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. When will it ________________ you to start?
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — clothes
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. court — for sport
  4. suit — in cards
  5. race — the arms race
  6. fall — to drop
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. race — humankind
  9. tube — a container
  10. court — of law
  11. suit — to fit
  12. tube — the underground
  13. spring — the season
  14. rock — a stone
  15. branch — a division
  16. fall — the season
  17. spring — a coil
  18. fall — to drop
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. spring — of water
  21. rock — music
  22. race — a contest
  23. court — of a king
  24. tube — in a tire

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