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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. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. bore — to drill
  3. bore — to tire
  4. land — to come down
  5. mouse — for a computer
  6. mate — a partner
  7. mate — a friend
  8. land — a country
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. land — ground
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. spell — letters
  14. prune — to trim
  15. spell — a short time
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. spell — magic
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. branch — a division
  21. prune — to trim
  22. bat — the animal
  23. mate — to breed
  24. mouse — the animal

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