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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. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. net — after costs
  4. hand — help
  5. ground — the earth
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. hand — in cards
  9. branch — a division
  10. rock — music
  11. race — the arms race
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. ground — a position
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. rock — a stone
  16. net — for catching
  17. race — humankind
  18. race — a contest
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. wave — of the sea
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. net — in sport
  23. wave — with your hand
  24. snap — to click

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