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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 120 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. He is an ace ________________.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. mate — a partner
  7. mate — to breed
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. dip — to sink
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. mate — a friend
  15. mark — a trace
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. bore — to drill
  22. mark — a grade
  23. branch — a division
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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