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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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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. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. pop — to visit
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. bat — the animal
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. net — in sport
  7. rest — a break
  8. ground — a position
  9. net — after costs
  10. fine — high quality
  11. rest — what's left
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. ground — the earth
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. pop — music
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. rest — what's left
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. ground — crushed
  22. fine — all right
  23. net — for catching
  24. pop — soda

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