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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 120 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. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. My mare is ________________ in color.
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. branch — a division
  4. wind — moving air
  5. bay — to keep at bay
  6. prune — to trim
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. bore — to tire
  9. chip — for betting
  10. bay — a horse colour
  11. chip — to eat
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. present — a gift
  15. prune — to trim
  16. bore — to drill
  17. wind — moving air
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. present — the time now
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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