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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. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. bass — low music
  3. march — the month
  4. stem — to come from
  5. bank — for money
  6. drill — the tool
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. bore — to drill
  9. march — music
  10. face — to confront
  11. drill — army training
  12. bank — of a river
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. face — part of the head
  15. bank — for money
  16. prune — to trim
  17. face — to point toward
  18. bass — the fish
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. march — the month
  23. prune — to trim
  24. drill — a practice

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