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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: row · ground · nail · branch · pop · wave · rush · spell

  1. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. spell — a short time
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. rush — hurry
  8. pop — music
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. ground — a position
  11. wave — a sudden rise
  12. row — a line
  13. spell — magic
  14. spell — letters
  15. pop — to visit
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. row — to paddle
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. ground — crushed
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. pop — soda
  23. branch — a division
  24. wave — of the sea

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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