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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. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. When will it ________________ you to start?
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. can — a tin
  4. court — of law
  5. tear — to rip
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. suit — clothes
  8. saw — the tool
  9. bore — to drill
  10. band — a music group
  11. suit — in cards
  12. branch — a division
  13. can — a tin
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. court — for sport
  17. tear — from crying
  18. saw — the tool
  19. bore — to tire
  20. suit — to fit
  21. can — to be able to
  22. tear — from crying
  23. court — of a king
  24. band — a ring

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