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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. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. kick — in football
  4. capital — money
  5. branch — a division
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. bore — to drill
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. saw — the tool
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. prune — to trim
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. prune — to trim
  16. bore — to tire
  17. mine — for digging
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. saw — the tool
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. capital — a city

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