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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. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. snap — to click
  3. rest — what's left
  4. board — a committee
  5. land — a country
  6. rest — what's left
  7. tube — a container
  8. tube — the underground
  9. drill — army training
  10. board — to get on
  11. board — a flat piece
  12. ground — the earth
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. drill — a practice
  16. drill — the tool
  17. rest — a break
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. land — to come down
  22. ground — a position
  23. branch — a division
  24. land — ground

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