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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. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. branch — a division
  4. lean — to bend
  5. scale — size or range
  6. land — a country
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. pop — soda
  10. bore — to drill
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. pop — to visit
  14. rash — hasty
  15. land — ground
  16. pop — music
  17. land — to come down
  18. scale — in music
  19. rash — a series
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. bore — to tire
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. branch — of a tree

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