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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: foot · spell · nail · pop · branch · rule · bore · cold

  1. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. cold — not warm
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. rule — government
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. branch — a division
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. cold — an illness
  11. spell — magic
  12. foot — a measure
  13. bore — to drill
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. spell — a short time
  17. pop — soda
  18. bore — to tire
  19. rule — a law
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. pop — music
  22. pop — to visit
  23. rule — to rule out
  24. spell — letters

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