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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. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a tree
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. current — electric
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. shower — rain
  6. pop — music
  7. ground — the earth
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. current — happening now
  10. mine — for digging
  11. ground — a position
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. pop — soda
  14. current — of water
  15. shower — to wash
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. ground — crushed
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. bore — to drill
  22. branch — a division
  23. bore — to tire
  24. pop — to visit

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