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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. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — in music
  2. bore — to tire
  3. drill — a practice
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. staff — employees
  7. branch — a division
  8. tear — to rip
  9. cell — a phone
  10. scale — size or range
  11. cell — in biology
  12. staff — employees
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. staff — a stick
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. drill — the tool
  17. tear — from crying
  18. tear — from crying
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. drill — army training
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. bore — to drill

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