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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. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. My mare is ________________ in color.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. bore — to tire
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. bore — to drill
  6. fall — to drop
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. face — part of the head
  9. bay — to keep at bay
  10. face — to confront
  11. bat — the animal
  12. drill — the tool
  13. face — to point toward
  14. game — a match
  15. fall — to drop
  16. drill — a practice
  17. game — wild animals
  18. bay — a horse colour
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. fall — the season
  21. bay — a part of the sea
  22. drill — army training
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. bat — in an idiom

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