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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 120 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. There's no middle ________________.
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. ground — the earth
  3. branch — a division
  4. lean — thin
  5. club — a group
  6. ground — crushed
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. club — for golf
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. cap — a hat
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. bark — to shout
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. lean — to bend
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. club — for dancing
  18. kick — in football
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. cap — a lid
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. cap — of ice
  24. bark — of a tree

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