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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. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  2. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a bank
  2. present — there
  3. fork — in a road
  4. bore — to drill
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. stem — to come from
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. cold — not warm
  9. present — a gift
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. dip — to sink
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. bore — to tire
  14. track — a song
  15. track — to keep track
  16. track — a path
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. branch — a division
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. present — the time now
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. fork — a garden tool
  24. cold — an illness

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