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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. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a tree
  2. ground — a position
  3. rule — a law
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. craft — boats
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. mine — for digging
  11. craft — a handicraft
  12. scale — size or range
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. rule — government
  15. branch — a division
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. chip — for betting
  18. craft — a skill
  19. chip — to eat
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. ground — crushed
  22. scale — in music
  23. ground — the earth
  24. chip — in a computer

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