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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. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  10. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. When was this ________________ built?
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  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. rash — hasty
  2. hand — help
  3. bore — to drill
  4. field — for sport
  5. perch — the fish
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. rash — a series
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. temple — side of the head
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. hand — in cards
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. spring — of water
  14. bore — to tire
  15. field — a subject
  16. mouse — for a computer
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. spring — the season
  19. field — farmland
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. spring — a coil
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. perch — for a bird
  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