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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. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. The tickets are free of ________________.
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. charge — electricity
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. tear — to rip
  6. cold — an illness
  7. key — the most important part
  8. tear — from crying
  9. key — for a lock
  10. shower — to wash
  11. key — in music
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. cold — not warm
  15. tear — from crying
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. bore — to tire
  18. charge — a price
  19. charge — in control
  20. shower — rain
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. branch — a division
  23. bore — to drill
  24. branch — of a tree

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