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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. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  2. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — to attach or keep to
  2. bore — to drill
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. wind — moving air
  5. bass — the fish
  6. bore — to tire
  7. bound — obliged
  8. game — a match
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. field — for sport
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. field — farmland
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. prune — to trim
  16. field — a subject
  17. prune — to trim
  18. wind — moving air
  19. bound — tied together
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. game — wild animals
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. bound — certain
  24. bass — low music

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