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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: stand · row · date · racket · bore · snap · branch · foot

  1. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. Have you settled on a ________________?
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. I can't ________________ this cold.
  17. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  24. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.

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

Answer key

  1. date — the fruit
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. bore — to tire
  5. branch — a division
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. bore — to drill
  11. stand — for spectators
  12. row — a line
  13. snap — to click
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. row — to paddle
  16. stand — to bear
  17. stand — on your feet
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. foot — a measure
  24. foot — the bottom

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