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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. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. spring — of water
  3. branch — a division
  4. tube — a container
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. saw — the tool
  10. spring — the season
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. lean — to bend
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. lean — thin
  16. spring — a coil
  17. lie — to recline
  18. saw — the tool
  19. tube — the underground
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. bore — to drill
  24. branch — of a bank

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