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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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. ground — the earth
  4. capital — money
  5. capital — a city
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. hand — in cards
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. branch — a division
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. prune — to trim
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. prune — to trim
  21. ground — crushed
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. ground — a position

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