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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. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. ruler — a monarch
  3. drill — army training
  4. court — of a king
  5. court — for sport
  6. scale — in music
  7. scale — size or range
  8. drill — a practice
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. branch — a division
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. bore — to drill
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. court — of law
  19. land — to come down
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. land — ground
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. land — a country
  24. drill — the 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