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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. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. lean — to bend
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. ball — a dance
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. cap — a lid
  10. branch — a division
  11. lean — thin
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. cap — a hat
  14. bore — to drill
  15. content — happy
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. bore — to tire
  19. deal — to handle
  20. content — the amount
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. cap — of ice
  24. fan — a supporter

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