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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 girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. Have you settled on a ________________?
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  22. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. chest — a box
  3. toast — a drink to someone
  4. bore — to tire
  5. spring — of water
  6. branch — a division
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. chest — of your body
  10. mug — a face
  11. spring — a coil
  12. row — to paddle
  13. mug — to rob
  14. toast — the most admired
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. spring — the season
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. bore — to drill
  21. toast — bread
  22. mug — a cup
  23. chest — of your body
  24. date — the fruit

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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