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

Word bank: nail · cabinet · cold · wave · branch · perch · pound · object

  1. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  2. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. object — to protest
  4. cold — an illness
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. pound — a weight
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. perch — the fish
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. object — an aim
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. branch — a division
  15. wave — of the sea
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. cold — not warm
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. wave — with your hand
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. object — a thing
  24. branch — of a bank

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