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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. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. We're on a ________________ here.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — in music
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. roll — a list
  5. tear — from crying
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. drill — the tool
  9. tear — to rip
  10. drill — army training
  11. bore — to tire
  12. drill — a practice
  13. roll — a cake
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. roll — on a roll
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. scale — size or range
  20. bark — to shout
  21. bore — to drill
  22. tear — from crying
  23. bore — gave birth
  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