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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. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. My father caught me by the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. cap — a lid
  5. ground — a position
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. branch — a division
  9. cap — a hat
  10. ground — the earth
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. pass — a permit
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. cap — of ice
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. ground — crushed
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. last — to go on
  20. rash — hasty
  21. rash — a series
  22. last — final
  23. last — finally
  24. arm — part of the body

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