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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. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  2. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. object — a thing
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. root — of a plant
  6. root — the cause
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. game — a match
  9. root — of a word
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. shower — to wash
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. game — wild animals
  14. pitch — completely
  15. branch — a division
  16. object — an aim
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. object — to protest
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. lie — to recline
  22. shower — rain
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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