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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. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  2. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. We're on a ________________ here.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. roll — a cake
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. bore — to drill
  5. bore — to tire
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. fine — high quality
  8. bank — for money
  9. bound — tied together
  10. bound — certain
  11. roll — on a roll
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. bank — of a river
  14. fine — all right
  15. branch — a division
  16. bound — obliged
  17. bank — for money
  18. wind — moving air
  19. wind — moving air
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. roll — a list
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. branch — of a bank

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