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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 116 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. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. last — to go on
  3. bore — to drill
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. tube — a container
  8. bank — for money
  9. wound — an injury
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. wound — an injury
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. march — music
  14. mate — a friend
  15. bank — of a river
  16. last — finally
  17. bore — to tire
  18. march — the month
  19. last — final
  20. bank — for money
  21. mate — to breed
  22. mate — a partner
  23. march — the month
  24. tube — the underground

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