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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. He works in a ________________ mill.
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. chest — of your body
  3. tube — a container
  4. cap — a hat
  5. ground — crushed
  6. last — to go on
  7. last — finally
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. ground — the earth
  10. bore — to drill
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. last — final
  13. branch — a division
  14. chest — of your body
  15. chest — a box
  16. cap — of ice
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. tube — the underground
  20. bore — to tire
  21. saw — the tool
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. cap — a lid
  24. ground — a position

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