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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. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  13. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. When will it ________________ you to start?
  23. Where did you ________________ them?
  24. Should I buy a wireless ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. suit — in cards
  3. bore — to drill
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. bore — to tire
  9. mug — a cup
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. cold — an illness
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. suit — clothes
  14. cold — not warm
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. branch — a division
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. mug — a face
  21. cell — in biology
  22. suit — to fit
  23. mug — to rob
  24. mouse — for a computer

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