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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. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. The ________________ took off on time.
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. foot — the bottom
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. rock — a stone
  5. plane — an aircraft
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. track — a song
  8. foot — a measure
  9. lean — thin
  10. bore — to drill
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. capital — money
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. track — to keep track
  16. bore — to tire
  17. capital — a city
  18. branch — a division
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. plane — a tool
  22. rock — music
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. lean — to bend

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