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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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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: nail · branch · sharp · ground · bay · hand · rash · mate

  1. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  15. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. My mare is ________________ in color.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. rash — a series
  3. rash — hasty
  4. ground — the earth
  5. mate — a partner
  6. branch — a division
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. ground — a position
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. bay — a part of the sea
  15. bay — to keep at bay
  16. hand — in cards
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. bay — a horse colour
  20. mate — to breed
  21. sharp — clever
  22. hand — help
  23. mate — a friend
  24. rash — on the skin

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