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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. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a tree
  2. bore — to tire
  3. prune — to trim
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. bore — to drill
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. branch — a division
  9. mate — a friend
  10. march — the month
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. drill — a practice
  13. spell — a short time
  14. spell — letters
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. drill — army training
  18. march — music
  19. march — the month
  20. mate — to breed
  21. spell — magic
  22. prune — to trim
  23. mate — a partner
  24. drill — the tool

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