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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. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. When will it ________________ you to start?
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. bore — to drill
  4. mouse — for a computer
  5. cold — not warm
  6. root — of a plant
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. suit — to fit
  9. saw — the tool
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. kick — in football
  12. cold — an illness
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. suit — clothes
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. saw — the tool
  18. root — the cause
  19. branch — a division
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. root — of a word
  24. suit — in cards

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