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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. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  6. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. Have you settled on a ________________?
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — the bottom
  2. branch — a division
  3. foot — a measure
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. foot — part of the body
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. file — a document
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. wind — moving air
  12. bore — to tire
  13. file — a line of people
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. date — the fruit
  17. file — a tool
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. pound — a weight
  20. ball — a dance
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. wind — moving air
  23. bore — to drill
  24. ball — a great time

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