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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. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. present — the time now
  3. clip — to cut
  4. club — for golf
  5. staff — employees
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. rush — hurry
  8. bore — to tire
  9. staff — a stick
  10. branch — a division
  11. present — there
  12. clip — a video
  13. tube — the underground
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. staff — employees
  16. clip — for paper
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. club — for dancing
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. club — a group
  21. bore — to drill
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. present — a gift
  24. tube — a container

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