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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. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to drill
  2. wind — moving air
  3. branch — a division
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. bore — to tire
  6. track — to keep track
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. present — a gift
  9. root — of a word
  10. root — of a plant
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. present — the time now
  14. wind — moving air
  15. root — the cause
  16. track — a path
  17. present — there
  18. track — a song

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