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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. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. bear — the animal
  3. branch — a division
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. bear — the animal
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. bore — to drill
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. bore — to tire
  10. rash — a series
  11. present — the time now
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. present — there
  15. march — the month
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. rash — hasty
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. march — the month
  20. march — music
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. branch — of a bank

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