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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 120 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 ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. branch — a division
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. bore — to drill
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. last — finally
  9. last — to go on
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. bore — to tire
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. rest — what's left
  19. rest — a break
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. rest — what's left
  22. last — final
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. trunk — of a car

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