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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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. I can't ________________ this cold.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  7. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. stand — to bear
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. stand — for spectators
  7. stand — on your feet
  8. rash — a series
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. rash — hasty
  11. tear — to rip
  12. season — of the year
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. branch — a division
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. firm — a company
  18. season — in sport
  19. firm — steady
  20. tear — from crying
  21. firm — decided
  22. tear — from crying
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. nail — for a hammer

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