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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. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to drill
  2. branch — a division
  3. sharp — clever
  4. prune — to trim
  5. rash — hasty
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. fine — all right
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. wind — moving air
  15. prune — to trim
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. rash — a series
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. bore — to tire
  23. fine — high quality
  24. wind — moving air

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