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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. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  23. Have you settled on a ________________?
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. last — to go on
  3. snap — to click
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. branch — a division
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. last — finally
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. game — wild animals
  10. last — final
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. game — a match
  13. track — to keep track
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. track — a song
  17. track — a path
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. bore — to drill
  22. date — the fruit
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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