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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: chair · nail · lie · wound · row · season · snap · branch

  1. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  2. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. chair — a leader
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. row — to paddle
  12. wound — an injury
  13. snap — to click
  14. branch — a division
  15. lie — to recline
  16. row — a line
  17. wound — an injury
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. season — of the year
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. season — in sport
  24. branch — of a bank

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