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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. David sat on the ________________.
  2. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  21. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  22. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. bank — for money
  4. mate — a partner
  5. bank — of a river
  6. tube — a container
  7. bore — to drill
  8. file — a tool
  9. file — a line of people
  10. swing — in golf
  11. tube — the underground
  12. swing — music
  13. cap — a hat
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. mate — a friend
  16. mate — to breed
  17. bore — to tire
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. cap — a lid
  20. pound — for dogs
  21. bank — for money
  22. pound — a weight
  23. file — a document
  24. cap — of ice

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