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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 chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  2. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a tree
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. land — ground
  4. land — to come down
  5. hand — in cards
  6. pound — a weight
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. ruler — a monarch
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. branch — a division
  16. face — part of the head
  17. face — to confront
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. land — a country
  20. face — to point toward
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. hand — help
  23. season — of the year
  24. season — in sport

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