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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. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  7. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. The tickets are free of ________________.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. mug — a cup
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. season — of the year
  6. mug — a face
  7. charge — electricity
  8. mug — to rob
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. charge — in control
  12. bat — the animal
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. bore — to drill
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. season — in sport
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. charge — a price
  21. bore — to tire
  22. mine — for digging
  23. branch — a division
  24. wind — moving air

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