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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. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. branch — a division
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. land — a country
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. land — ground
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. track — to keep track
  10. mate — a partner
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. rush — hurry
  13. ball — a great time
  14. pop — music
  15. mate — a friend
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. mate — to breed
  18. track — a path
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. track — a song
  21. pop — soda
  22. land — to come down
  23. ball — a dance
  24. pop — to visit

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