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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. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. march — the month
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. mark — a trace
  5. capital — a city
  6. branch — a division
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. march — music
  11. wind — moving air
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. march — the month
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. capital — money
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. bore — to drill
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. wind — moving air
  22. mark — a grade
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. wind — to turn a key

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