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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. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. ground — a position
  3. swing — music
  4. bore — to tire
  5. swing — to play on
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. dip — to sink
  8. cap — of ice
  9. ground — crushed
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. deal — to handle
  12. swing — in golf
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. cap — a hat
  16. bore — to drill
  17. ground — the earth
  18. cap — a lid
  19. march — music
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. march — the month
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. branch — a division
  24. march — the month

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