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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. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. current — of water
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. drill — the tool
  5. prune — to trim
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. drill — a practice
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. current — electric
  13. lie — to recline
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. prune — to trim
  16. capital — a city
  17. bore — to drill
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. capital — money
  21. branch — a division
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. current — happening now
  24. drill — army training

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