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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. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. rock — music
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. branch — a division
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. capital — money
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. net — in sport
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. spell — letters
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. rock — a stone
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. spell — a short time
  20. capital — a city
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. net — for catching
  23. spell — magic
  24. nail — on a finger

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