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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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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 · wake · pit · sharp · nail · spring · cap · bear

  1. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. bear — the animal
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. pit — in a race
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. sharp — clever
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. spring — the season
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. branch — a division
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. spring — a coil
  19. bear — the animal
  20. cap — a hat
  21. wake — a trail
  22. cap — a lid
  23. spring — of water
  24. pit — a hole

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