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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: ball · branch · ground · sharp · date · key · pound · object

  1. This piece is in a major ________________.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  11. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. Have you settled on a ________________?
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. key — in music
  2. ground — crushed
  3. object — an aim
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. ball — a great time
  6. key — the most important part
  7. ball — a dance
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. object — to protest
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. key — for a lock
  14. pound — a weight
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. date — the fruit
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. ground — the earth
  20. object — a thing
  21. branch — a division
  22. ground — a position
  23. sharp — clever
  24. pound — for dogs

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