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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. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. bore — to tire
  3. shower — to wash
  4. bank — of a river
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. face — part of the head
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. face — to confront
  9. bank — for money
  10. bore — to drill
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. face — to point toward
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. pop — to visit
  16. shower — rain
  17. bank — for money
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. wax — to grow
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. pop — music
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. branch — a division

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