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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. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. spring — the season
  3. branch — a division
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. bore — to tire
  6. mate — a partner
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. bound — certain
  9. spring — a coil
  10. last — to go on
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. last — final
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. mate — to breed
  18. pitch — completely
  19. last — finally
  20. bore — to drill
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. spring — of water
  23. bound — obliged
  24. bound — tied together

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