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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. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. degree — an amount
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. bore — to drill
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. spell — magic
  7. lean — to bend
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. wound — an injury
  10. bore — to tire
  11. lean — thin
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. branch — a division
  16. spell — letters
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. degree — from a university
  19. degree — temperature
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. spell — a short time
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. wound — an injury
  24. branch — of a tree

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