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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. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. staff — employees
  3. shower — rain
  4. rest — a break
  5. shower — to wash
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. staff — a stick
  8. bore — to tire
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. bore — to drill
  11. cap — a hat
  12. rest — what's left
  13. cap — a lid
  14. rest — what's left
  15. cap — of ice
  16. branch — a division
  17. mine — for digging
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. staff — employees
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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