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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 120 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 broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. pit — in a race
  3. branch — a division
  4. shower — to wash
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. bat — the animal
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. shower — rain
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. can — a tin
  18. pit — a hole
  19. fork — in a road
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. can — to be able to
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. can — a tin
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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