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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. I'll be taking the ________________.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. We're on a ________________ here.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. Where did you ________________ them?
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. rash — hasty
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. ground — a position
  5. mug — a face
  6. rash — a series
  7. roll — a cake
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. roll — on a roll
  11. branch — a division
  12. mug — to rob
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. roll — a list
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. bore — to tire
  17. mug — a cup
  18. tube — a container
  19. wound — an injury
  20. wound — an injury
  21. ground — the earth
  22. ground — crushed
  23. bore — to drill
  24. tube — in a 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