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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. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. land — to come down
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. lie — to recline
  5. mate — a partner
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. rest — what's left
  8. mate — a friend
  9. rest — what's left
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. land — ground
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. prune — to trim
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. bat — the animal
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. prune — to trim
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. branch — a division
  23. mate — to breed
  24. rest — a break

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