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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 120 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. I can't ________________ this cold.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. net — in sport
  3. bore — to drill
  4. stand — on your feet
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. bore — to tire
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. branch — a division
  10. tube — a container
  11. craft — a handicraft
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. pop — soda
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. craft — a skill
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. tube — the underground
  19. craft — boats
  20. net — after costs
  21. pop — to visit
  22. net — for catching
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. pop — music

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