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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. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. fork — in a road
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. field — a subject
  8. ground — crushed
  9. branch — a division
  10. rule — a law
  11. object — a thing
  12. stem — to come from
  13. rule — government
  14. object — to protest
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. ground — a position
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. field — for sport
  19. object — an aim
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. bore — to drill
  22. ground — the earth
  23. bore — to tire
  24. field — farmland

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