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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 ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. track — a path
  3. squash — the sport
  4. squash — to crush
  5. bore — to tire
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. bore — to drill
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. staff — employees
  13. staff — employees
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. field — a subject
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. field — for sport
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. track — to keep track
  20. field — farmland
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. mine — for digging
  23. staff — a stick
  24. track — a song

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