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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. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. bore — to tire
  3. file — a document
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. staff — employees
  6. branch — a division
  7. bass — the fish
  8. bass — low music
  9. staff — a stick
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. tear — from crying
  12. tear — from crying
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. file — a line of people
  17. vault — a safe
  18. bore — to drill
  19. file — a tool
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. mine — for digging
  24. tear — to rip

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