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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. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. ground — the earth
  3. pop — soda
  4. pop — music
  5. craft — a handicraft
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. band — a music group
  8. hand — in cards
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. craft — a skill
  11. wound — an injury
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. pop — to visit
  15. wound — an injury
  16. craft — boats
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. ground — a position
  20. band — a ring
  21. hand — help
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. branch — a division

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