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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. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. bore — to tire
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. season — of the year
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. bore — to drill
  8. wind — moving air
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. current — of water
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. pit — a hole
  15. current — happening now
  16. branch — a division
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. pit — in a race
  19. lean — thin
  20. wind — moving air
  21. lean — to bend
  22. season — in sport
  23. current — electric
  24. hide — to keep secret

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