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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. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  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 — for a hammer
  2. rest — a break
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. mark — a trace
  5. lean — to bend
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. track — a path
  11. track — a song
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. lean — thin
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. branch — a division
  16. fine — all right
  17. rest — what's left
  18. track — to keep track
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. mark — a grade
  21. fine — high quality
  22. rest — what's left
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  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