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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. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  3. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  19. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. jam — in traffic
  3. wave — a sudden rise
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. jam — a tight spot
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. craft — a handicraft
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. clip — for paper
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. bore — to drill
  13. branch — a division
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. clip — to cut
  16. wave — of the sea
  17. pound — a weight
  18. jam — to spread on bread
  19. wave — with your hand
  20. clip — a video
  21. craft — a skill
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. craft — boats
  24. branch — of a bank

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