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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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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: fan · hide · tear · land · chest · bore · mate · branch

  1. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. tear — from crying
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. chest — a box
  5. land — a country
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. tear — from crying
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. mate — a friend
  12. branch — a division
  13. land — ground
  14. bore — to tire
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. mate — to breed
  17. chest — of your body
  18. chest — of your body
  19. land — to come down
  20. bore — to drill
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. tear — to rip
  24. fan — a supporter

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