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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 116 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. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. kid — to tease
  4. track — a song
  5. track — a path
  6. drill — army training
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. ground — a position
  9. spell — magic
  10. ground — crushed
  11. bound — obliged
  12. branch — a division
  13. snap — to click
  14. bound — tied together
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. drill — the tool
  17. bound — certain
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. kid — child
  20. spell — letters
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. drill — a practice
  23. spell — a short time
  24. track — to keep track

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