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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. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. plane — in geometry
  5. branch — a division
  6. degree — an amount
  7. rush — hurry
  8. bore — to drill
  9. degree — temperature
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. mine — for digging
  12. present — the time now
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. degree — from a university
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. present — a gift
  18. plane — a tool
  19. tube — the underground
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. tube — a container
  22. present — there
  23. bore — to tire
  24. tube — in a tire

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