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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. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. chair — a leader
  4. branch — a division
  5. land — to come down
  6. land — ground
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. land — a country
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. ground — a position
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. bark — to shout
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. ground — crushed
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. trunk — 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