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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. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to drill
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. bore — to tire
  4. land — ground
  5. pass — to succeed
  6. spring — of water
  7. spring — the season
  8. spring — a coil
  9. land — to come down
  10. fall — to drop
  11. land — a country
  12. fall — the season
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. branch — a division
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. fall — to drop
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. pass — a permit
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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