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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: bore · mouse · spring · rest · rush · branch · clip · court

  1. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  2. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — for a computer
  2. bore — to drill
  3. spring — of water
  4. bore — to tire
  5. rest — what's left
  6. clip — a video
  7. court — of a king
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. clip — to cut
  10. court — for sport
  11. rest — what's left
  12. spring — a coil
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. rest — a break
  16. branch — a division
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. rush — hurry
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. court — of law
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. spring — the season
  23. clip — for paper
  24. branch — of a tree

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