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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. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. branch — a division
  3. saw — the tool
  4. pop — to visit
  5. object — a thing
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. foot — the bottom
  8. last — final
  9. bore — to drill
  10. foot — part of the body
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. saw — the tool
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. pop — soda
  16. foot — a measure
  17. pop — music
  18. last — finally
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. bore — to tire
  21. object — an aim
  22. last — to go on
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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