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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. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — of a river
  2. bore — to tire
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. mate — to breed
  7. stem — to come from
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. bank — for money
  11. mate — a friend
  12. drill — army training
  13. bore — to drill
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. mate — a partner
  16. tube — the underground
  17. tube — a container
  18. season — in sport
  19. drill — a practice
  20. bank — for money
  21. drill — the tool
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. season — of the year
  24. kick — in football

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