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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 120 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. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  2. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. bore — to drill
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. spell — magic
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. branch — a division
  7. mark — a trace
  8. spell — a short time
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. squash — the sport
  11. court — for sport
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. squash — to crush
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. prune — to trim
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. court — of a king
  20. prune — to trim
  21. mark — a grade
  22. court — of law
  23. spell — letters
  24. bore — to tire

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