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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: chip · nail · drill · spring · ground · present · pop · branch

  1. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. drill — the tool
  4. pop — music
  5. ground — crushed
  6. drill — army training
  7. ground — a position
  8. pop — to visit
  9. spring — the season
  10. spring — of water
  11. branch — a division
  12. pop — soda
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. present — the time now
  15. present — there
  16. present — a gift
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. spring — a coil
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. drill — a practice
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. ground — the earth
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. chip — for betting

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