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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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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: branch · kid · pit · bore · sharp · face · wave · wind

  1. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a tree
  2. sharp — clever
  3. pit — in a race
  4. wave — a sudden rise
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. face — to confront
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. bore — to tire
  11. wave — with your hand
  12. face — part of the head
  13. wave — of the sea
  14. wind — moving air
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. bore — to drill
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. kid — child
  19. pit — a hole
  20. face — to point toward
  21. branch — a division
  22. kid — to tease
  23. wind — moving air
  24. sharp — exactly

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