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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. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. bore — to tire
  3. shower — rain
  4. present — the time now
  5. branch — a division
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. can — a tin
  8. swing — to play on
  9. spring — a coil
  10. stock — goods
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. bore — to drill
  13. can — to be able to
  14. present — there
  15. stock — shares
  16. spring — the season
  17. present — a gift
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. swing — music
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. swing — in golf
  23. can — a tin
  24. shower — to wash

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