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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. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. shower — to wash
  3. degree — an amount
  4. ground — a position
  5. shower — rain
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. rock — a stone
  8. degree — temperature
  9. ground — crushed
  10. staff — employees
  11. staff — a stick
  12. staff — employees
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. rock — music
  15. bore — to drill
  16. degree — from a university
  17. ground — the earth
  18. mine — for digging
  19. bore — to tire
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. branch — a division
  24. rock — to move gently

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