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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. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  2. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a bank
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. season — in sport
  4. last — to go on
  5. branch — a division
  6. bore — to drill
  7. last — finally
  8. last — final
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. bore — to tire
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. tube — a container
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. row — to paddle
  19. tube — the underground
  20. swing — to play on
  21. swing — in golf
  22. season — of the year
  23. row — a line
  24. swing — music

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