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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. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. bound — certain
  3. branch — a division
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. track — a path
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. bound — obliged
  8. drill — a practice
  9. track — a song
  10. prune — to trim
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. drill — army training
  15. fine — high quality
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. fine — all right
  18. prune — to trim
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. bound — tied together
  21. bore — to drill
  22. bore — to tire
  23. track — to keep track
  24. pitcher — a jug

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