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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. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  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. fall — to drop
  2. fall — to drop
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. rock — music
  7. bore — to drill
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. branch — a division
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. band — a music group
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. band — a ring
  15. swing — in golf
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. rock — a stone
  18. drill — army training
  19. fall — the season
  20. swing — music
  21. swing — to play on
  22. bore — to tire
  23. drill — a practice
  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