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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. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a bank
  2. mine — for digging
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. deal — to handle
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. mate — a friend
  8. mate — a partner
  9. season — of the year
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. season — in sport
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. foot — a measure
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. mate — to breed
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. foot — part of the body
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. branch — a division
  24. branch — of a tree

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