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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: spring · lean · nail · bass · branch · game · cap · cue

  1. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. cue — for pool
  3. game — a match
  4. cap — of ice
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. branch — a division
  7. spring — a coil
  8. bass — the fish
  9. lean — to bend
  10. spring — of water
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. spring — the season
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. cap — a lid
  16. bass — low music
  17. game — wild animals
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. cue — a signal
  22. lean — thin
  23. cue — a hint
  24. cap — a hat

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