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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 drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  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. nail — for a hammer
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. row — a line
  6. mark — a trace
  7. game — wild animals
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. club — a group
  11. row — to paddle
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. mark — a grade
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. game — a match
  17. branch — a division
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. club — for golf
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. club — for dancing
  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