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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. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — a weight
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. branch — a division
  5. saw — the tool
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. pound — for dogs
  8. net — in sport
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. saw — the tool
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. current — happening now
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. net — for catching
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. current — electric
  20. current — of water
  21. net — after costs
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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