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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. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. When was this ________________ built?
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. mug — a face
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. chair — a leader
  9. temple — side of the head
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. mug — a cup
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. cold — not warm
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. tear — from crying
  18. tear — to rip
  19. bore — to drill
  20. tear — from crying
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. branch — a division
  23. cold — an illness
  24. bore — to tire

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