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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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. branch — a division
  4. rush — hurry
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. bore — to tire
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. spring — of water
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. bore — to drill
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. spring — the season
  21. racket — a loud noise
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. leaves — to go away

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