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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: branch · fall · ground · nail · land · ball · snap · net

  1. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. ground — the earth
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. net — after costs
  7. land — ground
  8. net — in sport
  9. ground — crushed
  10. branch — a division
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. land — to come down
  13. fall — to drop
  14. net — for catching
  15. land — a country
  16. ball — a great time
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. ground — a position
  19. snap — to click
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. ball — a dance
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. fall — the season

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