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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. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. ruler — a monarch
  3. degree — from a university
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. fall — to drop
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. fall — the season
  8. branch — a division
  9. bore — to drill
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. degree — an amount
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. toast — a drink to someone
  17. degree — temperature
  18. spring — of water
  19. toast — the most admired
  20. spring — the season
  21. spring — a coil
  22. toast — bread
  23. fall — to drop
  24. racket — a loud noise

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