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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 116 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's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. content — the amount
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. bore — to drill
  5. lie — to recline
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. mark — a trace
  8. mark — a grade
  9. bank — of a river
  10. content — happy
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. chair — a leader
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. bank — for money
  17. branch — a division
  18. bore — to tire
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. bank — for money
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. shower — rain

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