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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. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. drill — the tool
  3. branch — a division
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. snap — to click
  7. drill — army training
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. band — a music group
  16. band — a ring
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. drill — a practice
  22. pitch — completely
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. pitch — a sales talk

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