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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. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. land — ground
  5. bore — to tire
  6. pop — soda
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. branch — a division
  10. last — finally
  11. field — for sport
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. bore — to drill
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. field — a subject
  16. land — to come down
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. last — to go on
  19. pop — music
  20. field — farmland
  21. land — a country
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. stem — to come from
  24. last — final

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