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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. wind — moving air
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. wind — moving air
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. land — ground
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. season — in sport
  12. branch — a division
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. bark — to shout
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. lie — to recline
  22. land — to come down
  23. land — a country
  24. branch — of a bank

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