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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. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. stand — to bear
  4. mug — a face
  5. wind — moving air
  6. stand — for spectators
  7. file — a line of people
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. stand — on your feet
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. wind — moving air
  12. bore — to tire
  13. mug — a cup
  14. file — a document
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. wound — an injury
  19. branch — a division
  20. wound — an injury
  21. bore — to drill
  22. file — a tool
  23. bore — gave birth
  24. nail — on a finger

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