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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. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. plane — a tool
  4. mark — a trace
  5. cell — a phone
  6. game — wild animals
  7. branch — a division
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. bore — to drill
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. mark — a grade
  12. game — a match
  13. band — a music group
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. band — a ring
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. cell — in biology
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. bore — to tire

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