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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. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. We're on a ________________ here.
  7. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. board — a committee
  3. bore — to drill
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. roll — on a roll
  7. roll — a cake
  8. branch — a division
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. pound — a weight
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. fork — in a road
  18. board — to get on
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. bore — to tire
  22. roll — a list
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. fork — a garden tool

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