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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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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. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. 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. scale — size or range
  3. last — final
  4. bank — for money
  5. spring — the season
  6. last — to go on
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. bore — to tire
  10. track — a path
  11. band — a ring
  12. bank — of a river
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. last — finally
  15. present — the time now
  16. present — there
  17. bank — for money
  18. track — to keep track
  19. spring — a coil
  20. present — a gift
  21. band — a music group
  22. spring — of water
  23. scale — in music
  24. 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