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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. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  2. The ________________ went through the wall.
  3. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a tree
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. mine — for digging
  5. safe — a strongbox
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. ground — the earth
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. pound — a weight
  10. ground — crushed
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. chair — a leader
  14. branch — a division
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. clip — a video
  17. clip — to cut
  18. clip — for paper
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. ground — a position
  24. nail — on a finger

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