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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 ________________ went through the wall.
  2. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. cap — a lid
  4. land — ground
  5. hand — in cards
  6. hand — help
  7. bank — for money
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. fine — all right
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. cap — of ice
  14. pound — a weight
  15. fine — high quality
  16. bank — for money
  17. land — to come down
  18. branch — a division
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. cap — a hat
  23. bank — of a river
  24. land — a country

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