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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: wound · content · ground · rock · branch · net · land · pound

  1. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a bank
  2. land — ground
  3. ground — the earth
  4. land — to come down
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. wound — an injury
  8. net — for catching
  9. rock — a stone
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. land — a country
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. branch — a division
  15. net — after costs
  16. net — in sport
  17. ground — crushed
  18. ground — a position
  19. rock — music
  20. content — happy
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. wound — an injury
  23. content — the amount
  24. pound — a weight

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