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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. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. bound — obliged
  3. spring — a coil
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. spring — of water
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. branch — a division
  8. current — of water
  9. bound — tied together
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. object — a thing
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. current — happening now
  16. object — an aim
  17. bore — to drill
  18. deal — to handle
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. spring — the season
  21. current — electric
  22. bound — certain
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  24. object — to protest

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