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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. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a tree
  2. hand — help
  3. lie — to recline
  4. tube — the underground
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. mine — for digging
  7. hand — in cards
  8. bore — to tire
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. land — ground
  12. bear — the animal
  13. land — to come down
  14. tube — a container
  15. bore — to drill
  16. land — a country
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. bear — the animal
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. branch — a division
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. bore — gave birth

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