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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. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  2. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — a weight
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. march — the month
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. march — the month
  7. swing — in golf
  8. row — a line
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. swing — to play on
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. bore — to tire
  15. branch — a division
  16. pound — to hit hard
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. ball — a dance
  19. row — to paddle
  20. bore — to drill
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. march — music
  23. swing — music
  24. ball — a great time

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