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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. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. You can't go backstage without a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. staff — employees
  4. wind — moving air
  5. net — for catching
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. pass — to spend time
  9. net — after costs
  10. staff — a stick
  11. net — in sport
  12. wind — moving air
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. current — happening now
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. bore — to drill
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. bark — to shout
  19. current — of water
  20. branch — a division
  21. staff — employees
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. current — electric
  24. pass — a permit

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