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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. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. fine — all right
  4. net — in sport
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. branch — a division
  7. rest — what's left
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. prune — to trim
  10. net — after costs
  11. perch — the fish
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. net — for catching
  15. rest — what's left
  16. pitch — completely
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. rest — a break
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. prune — to trim
  24. fine — high quality

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