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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. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. scale — size or range
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. craft — boats
  6. mine — for digging
  7. bore — to tire
  8. craft — a skill
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. scale — in music
  11. game — wild animals
  12. game — a match
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. bore — to drill
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. lean — to bend
  19. craft — a handicraft
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. lean — thin
  22. branch — a division
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. branch — of a bank

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