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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. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to sink
  2. branch — a division
  3. tear — to rip
  4. bore — to drill
  5. last — final
  6. land — to come down
  7. bore — to tire
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. land — ground
  10. spring — of water
  11. spring — the season
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. last — finally
  14. land — a country
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. last — to go on
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. tear — from crying
  21. tear — from crying
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. spring — a coil
  24. calf — a young animal

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