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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. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. branch — a division
  3. wound — an injury
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. bank — of a river
  6. spell — letters
  7. spell — magic
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. bank — for money
  13. spell — a short time
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. bore — to drill
  16. mine — for digging
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. chest — of your body
  19. bank — for money
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. wound — an injury
  22. chest — of your body
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. chest — a box

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