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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. That must've been a ________________.
  2. The water is too ________________.
  3. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. cold — not warm
  3. bank — for money
  4. bore — to drill
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. bank — of a river
  7. bore — to tire
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. field — a subject
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. branch — a division
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. field — for sport
  15. vault — a safe
  16. cold — an illness
  17. rush — hurry
  18. stem — to come from
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. field — farmland
  21. bank — for money
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. rush — to hurry

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