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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. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. branch — a division
  4. track — to keep track
  5. track — a path
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. bore — to drill
  8. mark — a trace
  9. stem — to come from
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. sharp — clever
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. drill — army training
  16. track — a song
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. drill — a practice
  20. mark — a grade
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. drill — the tool
  24. patient — a sick person

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