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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. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  12. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. chip — to eat
  3. field — a subject
  4. scale — in music
  5. object — an aim
  6. scale — size or range
  7. bank — for money
  8. row — to paddle
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. chip — for betting
  11. bank — of a river
  12. object — a thing
  13. row — a line
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. bore — to drill
  16. field — for sport
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. field — farmland
  20. bore — to tire
  21. bank — for money
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. chip — in a computer

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