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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 120 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. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a bank
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. mate — a partner
  4. chair — a leader
  5. branch — a division
  6. bore — to drill
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. mate — to breed
  9. mate — a friend
  10. band — a ring
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. band — a music group
  15. plane — a tool
  16. land — a country
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. land — ground
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. bore — to tire
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. land — to come down
  24. plane — in geometry

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