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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. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  16. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. tear — to rip
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. key — in music
  7. bound — certain
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. bound — tied together
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. bore — to tire
  12. toast — the most admired
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. toast — bread
  16. toast — a drink to someone
  17. key — the most important part
  18. bore — to drill
  19. branch — a division
  20. bound — obliged
  21. tear — from crying
  22. tear — from crying
  23. key — for a lock
  24. chip — for betting

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