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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. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. plane — a tool
  3. ball — a great time
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. wind — moving air
  8. capital — money
  9. wake — a trail
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. sharp — clever
  13. bore — to drill
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. wind — moving air
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. bore — to tire
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. capital — a city
  23. plane — an aircraft
  24. ball — a dance

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