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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. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. My father caught me by the ________________.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to drill
  2. lie — to recline
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. branch — a division
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. bore — to tire
  7. band — a ring
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. spring — of water
  10. spring — a coil
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. court — for sport
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. court — of law
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. court — of a king
  17. spring — the season
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. bat — the animal
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. band — a music group

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