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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. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a bank
  2. capital — money
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. land — to come down
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. spring — a coil
  7. branch — a division
  8. wave — of the sea
  9. bore — to drill
  10. drill — the tool
  11. spring — the season
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. land — a country
  14. capital — a city
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. bore — to tire
  18. drill — army training
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. drill — a practice
  21. spring — of water
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. land — ground
  24. wave — with your hand

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