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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 120 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. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. chip — to eat
  6. tear — from crying
  7. bore — to tire
  8. bore — to drill
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. chip — for betting
  12. chest — of your body
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. tear — from crying
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. chest — of your body
  22. chest — a box
  23. branch — a division
  24. patient — a sick person

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