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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 124 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. The ________________ went through the wall.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. net — in sport
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. rest — what's left
  6. rest — what's left
  7. present — there
  8. net — after costs
  9. squash — to crush
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. season — in sport
  13. present — a gift
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. season — of the year
  16. present — the time now
  17. squash — the sport
  18. rest — a break
  19. kid — to tease
  20. branch — a division
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. net — for catching
  23. kid — child
  24. squash — the vegetable

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