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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. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. When was this ________________ built?
  13. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. branch — a division
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. temple — side of the head
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. object — to protest
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. shower — to wash
  15. shower — rain
  16. object — an aim
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. sharp — clever
  19. last — finally
  20. object — a thing
  21. last — final
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. bark — to shout
  24. last — to go on

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