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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. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. I assure you, everything's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. sharp — clever
  3. tube — a container
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. fine — high quality
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. craft — boats
  8. perch — the fish
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. tube — the underground
  11. land — to come down
  12. land — ground
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. craft — a handicraft
  15. land — a country
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. craft — a skill
  20. bore — to drill
  21. branch — a division
  22. bore — to tire
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. fine — all right

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