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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 120 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's very handy with a ________________.
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. charge — electricity
  3. fall — to drop
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. branch — a division
  6. charge — a price
  7. fall — the season
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. charge — in control
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. kid — to tease
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. kid — child
  15. bore — to drill
  16. bore — to tire
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. cap — a hat
  19. saw — the tool
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. cap — a lid
  23. fall — to drop
  24. cap — of ice

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