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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 116 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. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. shower — to wash
  5. board — a committee
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. ground — a position
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. bore — to tire
  10. plane — a tool
  11. ground — the earth
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. bore — to drill
  15. board — to get on
  16. fork — in a road
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. spell — a short time
  20. spell — letters
  21. spell — magic
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. shower — rain
  24. ground — crushed

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