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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 116 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. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. field — for sport
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. bore — to drill
  5. rush — hurry
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. file — a document
  8. field — farmland
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. drill — the tool
  11. file — a line of people
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. bore — to tire
  14. mark — a trace
  15. drill — a practice
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. field — a subject
  20. wax — to grow
  21. drill — army training
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. mark — a grade
  24. file — a tool

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