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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'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  24. We're on a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. land — to come down
  3. branch — a division
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. drill — a practice
  6. drill — army training
  7. roll — a cake
  8. bore — to drill
  9. foot — a measure
  10. land — a country
  11. staff — a stick
  12. foot — the bottom
  13. bore — to tire
  14. drill — the tool
  15. staff — employees
  16. staff — employees
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. rock — music
  19. rock — a stone
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. roll — a list
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. foot — part of the body
  24. roll — on a roll

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