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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 120 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. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. bore — to drill
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. cold — not warm
  11. stem — to come from
  12. squash — to crush
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. squash — the sport
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. racket — a loud noise
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. cold — an illness
  21. branch — a division
  22. pitch — completely
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. stem — of a plant

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