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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. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  9. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. I can't ________________ this cold.
  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. bore — to drill
  2. chest — of your body
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. bore — to tire
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. march — music
  8. stand — on your feet
  9. stand — for spectators
  10. race — a contest
  11. race — humankind
  12. march — the month
  13. chest — of your body
  14. chest — a box
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. race — the arms race
  18. mine — for digging
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. march — the month
  22. stand — to bear
  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