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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: staff · branch · foot · pass · spring · field · bore · mine

  1. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  10. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a bank
  2. staff — a stick
  3. staff — employees
  4. foot — the bottom
  5. bore — to drill
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. field — a subject
  8. spring — the season
  9. foot — a measure
  10. pass — to succeed
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. pass — a permit
  14. field — for sport
  15. staff — employees
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. field — farmland
  19. spring — a coil
  20. spring — of water
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. branch — a division
  23. mine — for digging
  24. bore — to tire

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