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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. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. branch — a division
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. bore — to drill
  5. club — for golf
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. cap — a hat
  9. stem — to come from
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. vault — a safe
  14. mine — for digging
  15. club — for dancing
  16. cap — a lid
  17. club — a group
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. cap — of ice
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. branch — of a tree

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