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

Word bank: date · branch · pound · court · bear · mine · kick · drill

  1. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  24. Have you settled on a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. drill — the tool
  5. court — of a king
  6. branch — a division
  7. court — for sport
  8. kick — in football
  9. bear — the animal
  10. pound — a weight
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. date — the fruit
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. drill — a practice
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. mine — for digging
  18. bear — the animal
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. court — of law
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. date — on the calendar

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