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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. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  2. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  22. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — a measure
  2. jam — in traffic
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. foot — part of the body
  5. board — to get on
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. bore — to drill
  8. row — to paddle
  9. clip — for paper
  10. chest — of your body
  11. foot — the bottom
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. branch — a division
  14. clip — to cut
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. row — a line
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. bore — to tire
  19. board — a committee
  20. clip — a video
  21. jam — to spread on bread
  22. jam — a tight spot
  23. chest — a box
  24. chest — of your body

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