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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. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. bore — to tire
  4. degree — an amount
  5. branch — a division
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. staff — a stick
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. vault — an arched ceiling
  10. degree — from a university
  11. spell — a short time
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. staff — employees
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. degree — temperature
  18. lie — to recline
  19. bore — to drill
  20. vault — a safe
  21. wake — a trail
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. spell — letters
  24. spell — magic

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