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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 116 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. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a bank
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. bear — the animal
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. mine — for digging
  7. file — a document
  8. capital — money
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. file — a tool
  11. file — a line of people
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. bear — the animal
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. branch — a division
  19. capital — a city
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. chip — to eat
  23. chip — for betting
  24. bowl — to roll

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