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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 old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. cell — in biology
  5. bore — to tire
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. scale — size or range
  9. branch — a division
  10. vault — a safe
  11. last — to go on
  12. staff — employees
  13. last — finally
  14. spell — letters
  15. cell — a phone
  16. scale — in music
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. spell — a short time
  19. bore — to drill
  20. spell — magic
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. last — final
  24. staff — employees

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