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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. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. march — the month
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. prune — to trim
  5. bore — to drill
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. root — of a word
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. mine — for digging
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. vault — an arched ceiling
  14. prune — to trim
  15. march — the month
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. root — the cause
  18. march — music
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. vault — a safe
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. branch — a division
  23. root — of a plant
  24. prune — the fruit

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