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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. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. bound — obliged
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. snap — to click
  7. bound — tied together
  8. hand — in cards
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. cap — of ice
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. bound — certain
  17. branch — a division
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. cap — a hat
  20. bore — to drill
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. cap — a lid
  24. hand — help

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