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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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. fine — all right
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. prune — to trim
  5. field — for sport
  6. prune — to trim
  7. field — farmland
  8. kid — child
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. fine — high quality
  11. bore — to tire
  12. band — a music group
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. kid — to tease
  17. saw — the tool
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. band — a ring
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. safe — a strongbox
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. field — a subject
  24. bore — to drill

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