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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. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. wake — a trail
  5. fine — all right
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. wound — an injury
  9. capital — a city
  10. branch — a division
  11. fine — high quality
  12. capital — money
  13. wound — an injury
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. prune — to trim
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. kick — in football
  21. bore — to tire
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. prune — to trim
  24. bore — to drill

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