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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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. fine — high quality
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. branch — a division
  5. face — to point toward
  6. bore — to drill
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. face — to confront
  9. rush — hurry
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. season — of the year
  12. face — part of the head
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. bark — to shout
  16. bore — to tire
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. fine — all right
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. season — in sport
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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