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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: present · jam · spring · object · scale · bowl · branch · straw

  1. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  12. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  13. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  17. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. spring — of water
  3. present — the time now
  4. spring — the season
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. spring — a coil
  8. scale — size or range
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. object — an aim
  12. present — a gift
  13. jam — a tight spot
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. scale — in music
  16. object — a thing
  17. jam — in traffic
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. branch — a division
  23. jam — to spread on bread
  24. present — there

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