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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. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. I've got to change the light ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. ground — the earth
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. bore — to tire
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. bulb — for light
  11. hand — help
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. hand — in cards
  14. branch — a division
  15. root — of a word
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. root — the cause
  18. ground — a position
  19. bore — to drill
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. ground — crushed
  22. wake — a trail
  23. root — of a plant
  24. bulb — for light

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