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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. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — of a river
  2. bore — to tire
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. pop — to visit
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. pop — music
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. ruler — a monarch
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. pop — soda
  15. last — to go on
  16. fine — all right
  17. bank — for money
  18. fine — high quality
  19. mine — for digging
  20. last — final
  21. bore — to drill
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. last — finally
  24. bank — for money

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