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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. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. branch — a division
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. chest — of your body
  6. lean — to bend
  7. chest — a box
  8. rest — what's left
  9. drill — army training
  10. chest — of your body
  11. bore — to drill
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. bore — to tire
  14. chip — for betting
  15. rest — what's left
  16. chip — to eat
  17. drill — a practice
  18. ground — a position
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. ground — crushed
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. rest — a break
  23. lean — thin
  24. ground — the earth

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