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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: game · rock · spring · tear · wave · branch · stick · foot

  1. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  14. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  15. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  22. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — a measure
  2. branch — a division
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. spring — the season
  6. tear — to rip
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. rock — a stone
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. game — wild animals
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. wave — a sudden rise
  14. wave — of the sea
  15. wave — with your hand
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. spring — of water
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. spring — a coil
  20. tear — from crying
  21. rock — music
  22. foot — part of the body
  23. tear — from crying
  24. game — a match

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