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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: pit · branch · land · fine · foot · wound · deal · hand

  1. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  2. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — part of the body
  2. foot — a measure
  3. pit — in a race
  4. fine — all right
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. branch — a division
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. land — a country
  9. hand — help
  10. wound — an injury
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. land — to come down
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. pit — a hole
  18. deal — to handle
  19. hand — in cards
  20. land — ground
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. wound — an injury
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. fine — high quality

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