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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. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. staff — employees
  4. spring — a coil
  5. file — a document
  6. spring — of water
  7. file — a line of people
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. bore — to drill
  12. key — the most important part
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. file — a tool
  15. staff — employees
  16. spring — the season
  17. key — in music
  18. staff — a stick
  19. season — of the year
  20. bore — to tire
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. key — for a lock
  24. season — in sport

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