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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. David sat on the ________________.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. rock — music
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. ground — the earth
  5. plane — a tool
  6. rock — a stone
  7. ground — a position
  8. mine — for digging
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. lie — to recline
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. branch — a division
  13. pound — a weight
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. ground — crushed
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. swing — in golf
  18. swing — music
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. pound — for dogs
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. rock — to move gently

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