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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 120 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: wind · mate · fan · rash · bore · present · spell · branch

  1. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to drill
  2. wind — moving air
  3. wind — moving air
  4. branch — a division
  5. rash — hasty
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. spell — letters
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. spell — a short time
  10. present — the time now
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. present — there
  14. rash — a series
  15. mate — to breed
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. present — a gift
  18. bore — to tire
  19. spell — magic
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. mate — a friend
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. mate — a partner

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