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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 ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  14. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. We're on a ________________ here.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. net — after costs
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. face — to point toward
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. march — the month
  9. net — for catching
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. face — part of the head
  13. roll — a list
  14. roll — a cake
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. march — the month
  17. roll — on a roll
  18. face — to confront
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. branch — a division
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. march — music
  24. branch — 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