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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. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. Where did you ________________ them?
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. bass — low music
  4. branch — a division
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. rest — what's left
  7. bass — the fish
  8. net — for catching
  9. hand — help
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. mug — a face
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. rest — what's left
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. mug — a cup
  18. rest — a break
  19. hand — in cards
  20. net — in sport
  21. racket — a loud noise
  22. bore — to drill
  23. mug — to rob
  24. net — after costs

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