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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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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: ground · object · foot · wound · spell · rule · branch · safe

  1. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  4. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  7. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. spell — letters
  3. object — an aim
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. ground — a position
  6. foot — the bottom
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. safe — a strongbox
  10. rule — government
  11. object — to protest
  12. spell — a short time
  13. foot — a measure
  14. spell — magic
  15. wound — an injury
  16. wound — an injury
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. branch — a division
  19. ground — crushed
  20. rule — a law
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. foot — part of the body
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. object — a thing

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