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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. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a trace
  2. bore — to tire
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. cell — in biology
  5. cell — a phone
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. branch — a division
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. game — wild animals
  13. last — final
  14. game — a match
  15. saw — the tool
  16. saw — the tool
  17. bore — to drill
  18. last — finally
  19. mark — a grade
  20. last — to go on
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. mine — for digging
  24. branch — of a bank

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