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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. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  17. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. jam — to spread on bread
  3. fork — in a road
  4. chest — of your body
  5. chest — a box
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. snap — to click
  9. land — ground
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. branch — a division
  13. chest — of your body
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. jam — a tight spot
  17. jam — in traffic
  18. land — to come down
  19. net — after costs
  20. rush — hurry
  21. net — for catching
  22. net — in sport
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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