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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 120 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 ________________ went through the wall.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. game — wild animals
  3. last — to go on
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. scale — size or range
  13. game — a match
  14. fork — in a road
  15. band — a ring
  16. last — finally
  17. band — a music group
  18. branch — a division
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. last — final
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. scale — in music
  24. fork — a garden tool

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