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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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. face — to confront
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. saw — the tool
  8. capital — a city
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. face — part of the head
  13. kick — in football
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. face — to point toward
  18. branch — a division
  19. pound — a weight
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. capital — money
  24. kick — with a leg

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