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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. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  24. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. spring — the season
  3. kid — child
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. spring — of water
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. firm — decided
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. ground — crushed
  12. ground — a position
  13. branch — a division
  14. fork — in a road
  15. racket — a loud noise
  16. ball — a great time
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. ball — a dance
  19. firm — steady
  20. kid — to tease
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. spring — a coil
  23. firm — a company
  24. fork — to eat with

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