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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 120 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 keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. My mare is ________________ in color.
  7. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. The tickets are free of ________________.
  18. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. track — to keep track
  3. branch — a division
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. cell — in biology
  6. bay — a horse colour
  7. charge — in control
  8. capital — money
  9. track — a song
  10. prune — to trim
  11. charge — electricity
  12. cell — a phone
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. bore — to tire
  15. prune — to trim
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. charge — a price
  18. bay — a part of the sea
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. bay — to keep at bay
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. track — a path
  23. bore — to drill
  24. capital — a city

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