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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 116 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. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  18. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. bore — to drill
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. file — a document
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. file — a tool
  7. spell — a short time
  8. file — a line of people
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. craft — a handicraft
  12. branch — a division
  13. spell — letters
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. spell — magic
  16. face — part of the head
  17. craft — a skill
  18. craft — boats
  19. face — to confront
  20. bore — to tire
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. kid — child
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. face — to point toward

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