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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. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. bound — tied together
  3. field — a subject
  4. capital — a city
  5. capital — money
  6. field — for sport
  7. staff — a stick
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. bound — certain
  10. staff — employees
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. season — in sport
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. bore — to tire
  15. bound — obliged
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. wake — a trail
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. staff — employees
  20. bore — to drill
  21. season — of the year
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. mine — for digging
  24. bore — gave birth

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