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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. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. land — to come down
  3. branch — a division
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. mine — for digging
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. bulb — for light
  10. fork — in a road
  11. bulb — for light
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. land — ground
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. wound — an injury
  22. arm — a part of something
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. land — a country

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