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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. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. net — in sport
  4. firm — steady
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. bore — to drill
  7. saw — the tool
  8. bear — the animal
  9. ground — crushed
  10. saw — the tool
  11. firm — a company
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. branch — a division
  14. firm — decided
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. ground — the earth
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. ground — a position
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. bore — to tire
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. bear — the animal
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. net — for catching

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