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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 players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. field — a subject
  4. chest — of your body
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. bank — of a river
  8. bore — to tire
  9. wake — a trail
  10. craft — a handicraft
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. bank — for money
  13. field — farmland
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. craft — boats
  16. pitch — completely
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. bore — to drill
  19. bank — for money
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. chest — a box
  22. craft — a skill
  23. chest — of your body
  24. field — for sport

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