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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: ground · fork · branch · foot · nail · spell · season · staff

  1. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. ground — crushed
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. branch — a division
  5. ground — a position
  6. foot — the bottom
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. spell — a short time
  9. season — in sport
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. staff — a stick
  13. ground — the earth
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. staff — employees
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. season — of the year
  18. spell — letters
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. fork — in a road
  21. spell — magic
  22. foot — a measure
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. nail — on a finger

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