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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. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  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. march — the month
  2. march — the month
  3. mug — a cup
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. band — a ring
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. dip — to sink
  8. bore — to tire
  9. mug — to rob
  10. branch — a division
  11. degree — an amount
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. band — a music group
  14. bore — to drill
  15. degree — temperature
  16. mug — a face
  17. degree — from a university
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. march — music
  20. ground — crushed
  21. ground — the earth
  22. ground — a position
  23. band — a rubber band
  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