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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. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a tree
  2. ground — the earth
  3. ground — a position
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. bore — to drill
  6. clip — to cut
  7. ground — crushed
  8. branch — a division
  9. track — a song
  10. clip — a video
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. track — a path
  14. bore — to tire
  15. stem — to come from
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. mine — for digging
  20. track — to keep track
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. clip — for paper
  24. stem — of a plant

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