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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Have you settled on a ________________?
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. I can't ________________ this cold.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  18. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. field — farmland
  3. wave — with your hand
  4. bore — to drill
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. stand — on your feet
  7. field — a subject
  8. bore — to tire
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. wave — of the sea
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. stand — to bear
  14. field — for sport
  15. mate — to breed
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. date — the fruit
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. mate — a partner
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. mate — a friend
  22. stand — for spectators
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. wave — a sudden rise

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