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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. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a bank
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. bore — to tire
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. wind — moving air
  6. cap — a hat
  7. bat — the animal
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. cap — a lid
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. branch — a division
  16. cap — of ice
  17. kid — to tease
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. bay — a part of the sea
  21. wake — a trail
  22. wind — moving air
  23. bore — to drill
  24. kid — child

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