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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. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. wind — moving air
  3. sharp — clever
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. firm — steady
  10. bear — the animal
  11. bore — to drill
  12. rash — a series
  13. bore — to tire
  14. wind — moving air
  15. rash — hasty
  16. game — a match
  17. game — wild animals
  18. firm — a company
  19. bear — the animal
  20. firm — decided
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. branch — a division

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