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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. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. bore — to tire
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. stand — to bear
  6. stand — for spectators
  7. last — finally
  8. last — final
  9. rest — what's left
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. can — a tin
  12. last — to go on
  13. kid — child
  14. row — a line
  15. rest — a break
  16. can — a tin
  17. row — to paddle
  18. kid — to tease
  19. rest — what's left
  20. branch — a division
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. bore — to drill
  24. stand — on your feet

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