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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. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. drill — a practice
  3. mate — a friend
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. branch — a division
  6. drill — army training
  7. rock — a stone
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. track — to keep track
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. drill — the tool
  16. track — a song
  17. bore — to drill
  18. bore — to tire
  19. bark — to shout
  20. mate — to breed
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. track — a path
  24. rock — music

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