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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. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. bore — to drill
  4. chest — a box
  5. content — happy
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. kid — child
  8. kid — to tease
  9. current — happening now
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. current — of water
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. bore — to tire
  14. chest — of your body
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. chest — of your body
  18. content — the amount
  19. band — a music group
  20. current — electric
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. band — a ring
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. branch — of a tree

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