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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. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. branch — a division
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. field — for sport
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. pop — to visit
  11. wound — an injury
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. field — farmland
  14. rest — what's left
  15. pop — soda
  16. bore — to tire
  17. band — a ring
  18. bore — to drill
  19. rest — what's left
  20. pop — music
  21. rest — a break
  22. band — a music group
  23. field — a subject
  24. leaves — to go away

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