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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. The ________________ went through the wall.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. lean — to bend
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. field — for sport
  6. can — a tin
  7. drill — a practice
  8. drill — the tool
  9. branch — a division
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. lean — thin
  12. field — a subject
  13. field — farmland
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. drill — army training
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. prune — to trim
  19. can — a tin
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. can — to be able to
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. prune — to trim
  24. nail — on a finger

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