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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. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  2. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. bore — to drill
  3. plane — in geometry
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. branch — a division
  8. prune — to trim
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. prune — to trim
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. wind — moving air
  13. march — the month
  14. plane — a tool
  15. squash — the sport
  16. march — music
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. wind — moving air
  20. squash — to crush
  21. bore — to tire
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. march — the month
  24. prune — the fruit

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