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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 116 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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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: nail · land · wave · drill · ground · club · firm · branch

  1. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — with your hand
  2. ground — crushed
  3. drill — the tool
  4. land — to come down
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. drill — a practice
  7. ground — a position
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. club — a group
  10. firm — a company
  11. land — a country
  12. club — for golf
  13. ground — the earth
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. club — for dancing
  16. firm — steady
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. firm — decided
  19. drill — army training
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. branch — a division
  23. land — ground
  24. wave — of the sea

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