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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. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to drill
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. wind — moving air
  5. degree — from a university
  6. pit — in a race
  7. degree — temperature
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. branch — a division
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. cap — a lid
  12. degree — an amount
  13. wind — moving air
  14. bore — to tire
  15. spring — of water
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. spring — a coil
  18. cap — of ice
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. pit — a hole
  21. cap — a hat
  22. lean — to bend
  23. spring — the season
  24. lean — thin

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