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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. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. When was this ________________ built?
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. ground — the earth
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. kid — to tease
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. kid — child
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. present — there
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. pitch — completely
  15. ground — crushed
  16. ground — a position
  17. present — the time now
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. present — a gift
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. bark — to shout
  23. branch — a division
  24. temple — side of the head

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