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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. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. track — a song
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. land — a country
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. land — to come down
  7. track — to keep track
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. land — ground
  10. degree — temperature
  11. degree — from a university
  12. bound — obliged
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. bound — tied together
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. bore — to drill
  17. staff — employees
  18. track — a path
  19. bound — certain
  20. degree — an amount
  21. staff — employees
  22. branch — a division
  23. staff — a stick
  24. branch — of a tree

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