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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: bore · cell · season · snap · bowl · branch · rest · firm

  1. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in biology
  2. season — of the year
  3. branch — a division
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. rest — what's left
  6. bore — to drill
  7. season — in sport
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. rest — what's left
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. firm — a company
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. bore — to tire
  16. snap — to click
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. firm — steady
  19. rest — a break
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. firm — decided
  24. cell — a phone

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