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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. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. can — a tin
  5. can — a tin
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. fall — to drop
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. fall — to drop
  11. can — to be able to
  12. bass — the fish
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. saw — the tool
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. branch — a division
  17. bass — low music
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. saw — the tool
  21. snap — to click
  22. bore — to drill
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. fall — the season

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