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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: drill · wind · deal · staff · branch · bound · fan · bore

  1. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a tree
  2. bound — tied together
  3. wind — moving air
  4. bore — to tire
  5. bound — obliged
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. wind — moving air
  8. staff — employees
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. deal — to handle
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. staff — employees
  16. staff — a stick
  17. branch — a division
  18. drill — army training
  19. drill — a practice
  20. bore — to drill
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. drill — the tool
  24. bound — certain

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