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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. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a bank
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. branch — a division
  5. land — a country
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. track — a path
  9. land — ground
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. pop — music
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. cold — an illness
  14. cold — not warm
  15. land — to come down
  16. track — to keep track
  17. bore — to tire
  18. pop — to visit
  19. bore — to drill
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. pop — soda
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. track — a song
  24. fork — in a road

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