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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 120 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 felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. perch — the fish
  5. key — the most important part
  6. drill — a practice
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. branch — a division
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. bore — to drill
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. key — for a lock
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. drill — army training
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. key — in music
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. drill — the tool

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