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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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. last — to go on
  4. object — a thing
  5. branch — a division
  6. saw — the tool
  7. object — to protest
  8. bore — to tire
  9. bulb — for light
  10. last — final
  11. rush — hurry
  12. bore — to drill
  13. bulb — for light
  14. last — finally
  15. object — an aim
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. rash — a series
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. saw — the tool
  20. rash — hasty
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. branch — of a tree

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