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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. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. foot — a measure
  3. rush — hurry
  4. court — of a king
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. bore — to tire
  7. wound — an injury
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. hand — help
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. court — for sport
  12. ground — the earth
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. ground — crushed
  16. court — of law
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. ground — a position
  21. bore — to drill
  22. hand — in cards
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. branch — a division

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