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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. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. object — a thing
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. deal — to handle
  7. rush — hurry
  8. wound — an injury
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. object — an aim
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. mine — for digging
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. branch — a division
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. wound — an injury
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. object — to protest
  24. mine — an explosive

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