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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. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to drill
  2. kid — child
  3. firm — steady
  4. kid — to tease
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. cold — not warm
  12. snap — to click
  13. stem — to come from
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. firm — decided
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. firm — a company
  20. branch — a division
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. cold — an illness
  24. bore — to tire

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