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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 116 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. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. mug — to rob
  4. swing — in golf
  5. branch — a division
  6. bound — certain
  7. mug — a face
  8. ground — a position
  9. cap — a hat
  10. land — a country
  11. ground — crushed
  12. ground — the earth
  13. bound — obliged
  14. bound — tied together
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. cap — of ice
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. swing — music
  19. bore — to tire
  20. mug — a cup
  21. land — to come down
  22. swing — to play on
  23. bore — to drill
  24. cap — a lid

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