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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. fine — high quality
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. rash — a series
  7. bore — to tire
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. bore — to drill
  11. fine — all right
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. wind — moving air
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. rash — hasty
  18. wind — moving air

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