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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. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. Have you settled on a ________________?
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. bore — to tire
  3. mate — a partner
  4. spell — letters
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. drill — army training
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. spell — magic
  9. bore — to drill
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. date — the fruit
  12. spell — a short time
  13. mate — to breed
  14. mate — a friend
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. cap — a lid
  17. cap — of ice
  18. drill — the tool
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. drill — a practice
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. cap — a hat
  24. date — on the calendar

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