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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 hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. My mare is ________________ in color.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. bore — to tire
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. branch — a division
  6. bay — a horse colour
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. hand — help
  9. bay — a part of the sea
  10. bat — the animal
  11. bore — to drill
  12. wake — a trail
  13. deal — to handle
  14. band — a ring
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. bay — to keep at bay
  17. hand — in cards
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. band — a music group
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. branch — of a bank

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