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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. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to drill
  2. track — a path
  3. bank — for money
  4. mine — for digging
  5. dip — to sink
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. bank — for money
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. shower — to wash
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. bore — to tire
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. shower — rain
  20. track — a song
  21. branch — a division
  22. bank — of a river
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. track — to keep track

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