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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. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. pit — a hole
  3. spring — the season
  4. mug — a face
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. swing — in golf
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. swing — to play on
  9. pit — in a race
  10. spring — of water
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. spring — a coil
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. mug — to rob
  16. mug — a cup
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. plane — a tool
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. pitch — completely
  21. swing — music
  22. pit — a fruit stone
  23. branch — a division
  24. branch — of a bank

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