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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: branch · sharp · tube · spring · row · season · current · bear

  1. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. tube — a container
  3. season — in sport
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. current — happening now
  6. current — of water
  7. row — to paddle
  8. branch — a division
  9. sharp — clever
  10. spring — of water
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. tube — the underground
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. season — of the year
  17. spring — the season
  18. spring — a coil
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. bear — the animal
  21. bear — the animal
  22. current — electric
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. row — a line

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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