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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. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  14. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. foot — a measure
  6. branch — a division
  7. cue — a signal
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. bore — to drill
  13. cue — a hint
  14. foot — the bottom
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. tube — a container
  17. chair — a leader
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. cue — for pool
  21. foot — part of the body
  22. squash — the sport
  23. squash — to crush
  24. tube — the underground

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