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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: spring · branch · rock · deal · chip · fan · squash · lean

  1. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. branch — a division
  3. spring — the season
  4. deal — to handle
  5. spring — a coil
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. lean — thin
  8. squash — the sport
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. squash — to crush
  14. spring — of water
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. chip — to eat
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. chip — for betting
  21. lean — to bend
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. deal — a big deal
  24. rock — a stone

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