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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: branch · rest · degree · bore · straw · pop · mine · nail

  1. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to drill
  2. rest — what's left
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. pop — to visit
  5. mine — for digging
  6. rest — what's left
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. pop — music
  14. degree — an amount
  15. bore — to tire
  16. degree — from a university
  17. branch — a division
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. rest — a break
  20. pop — soda
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. degree — temperature
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. bore — gave birth

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