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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 120 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: ground · branch · rush · spring · foot · bowl · tube · tear

  1. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  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. spring — of water
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. tube — a container
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. foot — the bottom
  7. tear — from crying
  8. tube — the underground
  9. ground — crushed
  10. foot — part of the body
  11. spring — a coil
  12. ground — the earth
  13. ground — a position
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. rush — hurry
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. branch — a division
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. tear — from crying
  20. spring — the season
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. foot — a measure
  23. tear — to rip
  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