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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. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a tree
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. branch — a division
  4. capital — a city
  5. club — for dancing
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. club — a group
  15. club — for golf
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. capital — money
  23. snap — to click
  24. pitcher — a jug

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