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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. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. wound — an injury
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. ground — the earth
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. root — the cause
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. rash — a series
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. ground — a position
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. wound — an injury
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. root — of a word
  17. root — of a plant
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. rash — hasty
  20. stem — to come from
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. branch — a division
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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