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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. The ________________ went through the wall.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. net — after costs
  3. board — a committee
  4. tube — the underground
  5. sharp — clever
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. prune — to trim
  11. net — for catching
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. tube — a container
  14. prune — to trim
  15. net — in sport
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. board — to get on
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. branch — a division
  24. pound — a weight

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