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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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Word bank
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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. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. fine — high quality
  3. rash — a series
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. spring — a coil
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. rash — hasty
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. fine — all right
  12. spring — the season
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. spring — of water
  17. branch — a division
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. ball — a dance
  21. ball — a great time
  22. game — wild animals
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. game — a match

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