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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. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. bore — to tire
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. sharp — clever
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. swing — music
  10. ground — crushed
  11. ground — the earth
  12. swing — to play on
  13. swing — in golf
  14. bore — to drill
  15. stem — to come from
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. ball — a great time
  19. ground — a position
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. branch — a division

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