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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 ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. bank — for money
  3. rest — a break
  4. wound — an injury
  5. ground — a position
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. branch — a division
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. bank — of a river
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. squash — the sport
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. ground — crushed
  16. squash — to crush
  17. wound — an injury
  18. rest — what's left
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. rest — what's left
  21. kid — to tease
  22. bank — for money
  23. kid — child
  24. squash — the vegetable

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