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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. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. Have you settled on a ________________?
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. date — the fruit
  4. pound — a weight
  5. pound — to hit hard
  6. ground — the earth
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. rule — government
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. branch — a division
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. ground — crushed
  16. rule — a law
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. pound — for dogs
  24. ground — a position

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