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

Word bank: bore · staff · pop · nail · branch · kick · wind · sharp

  1. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. The ________________ went through the wall.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. bore — to tire
  4. sharp — clever
  5. bore — to drill
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. pop — soda
  8. pop — to visit
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. wind — moving air
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. staff — a stick
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. staff — employees
  16. staff — employees
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. kick — in football
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. wind — moving air
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. pop — music
  24. branch — a division

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