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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. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. bore — to tire
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. spell — letters
  5. drill — army training
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. object — an aim
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. drill — the tool
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. bore — to drill
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. spell — a short time
  16. drill — a practice
  17. stem — to come from
  18. object — a thing
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. object — to protest
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. bowl — a dish
  23. branch — a division
  24. stem — of a plant

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