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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. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. bore — to drill
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. wind — moving air
  5. prune — to trim
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. bore — to tire
  9. wind — moving air
  10. board — a committee
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. content — happy
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. board — to get on
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. content — the amount
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. branch — a division
  22. prune — to trim
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. prune — the fruit

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