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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: bore · branch · last · mouse · coach · fall · kid · capital

  1. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a tree
  2. bore — to tire
  3. fall — to drop
  4. fall — the season
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. kid — child
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. branch — a division
  11. fall — to drop
  12. kid — to tease
  13. bore — to drill
  14. mouse — for a computer
  15. last — to go on
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. capital — a city
  19. capital — money
  20. last — finally
  21. last — final
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. capital — a big letter

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