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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. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. root — of a plant
  4. cold — an illness
  5. cold — not warm
  6. spell — a short time
  7. bore — to drill
  8. branch — a division
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. root — of a word
  11. march — the month
  12. root — the cause
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. bound — certain
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. bore — to tire
  17. bound — obliged
  18. mouse — for a computer
  19. march — the month
  20. spell — letters
  21. bound — tied together
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. march — music
  24. spell — magic

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