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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 120 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 can't ________________ this cold.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to drill
  2. stand — to bear
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. band — a ring
  5. stand — for spectators
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. stand — on your feet
  9. shower — rain
  10. bore — to tire
  11. shower — to wash
  12. file — a tool
  13. file — a document
  14. branch — a division
  15. band — a music group
  16. file — a line of people
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. nail — for a hammer

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