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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 · wake · mine · row · wind · cap · arm · branch

  1. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. My father caught me by the ________________.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. cap — of ice
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. mine — for digging
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. row — a line
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. wake — a trail
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. wind — moving air
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. row — to paddle
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. bore — to tire
  17. branch — a division
  18. bore — to drill
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. wind — moving air
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. cap — a lid
  24. cap — a hat

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