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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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. rush — hurry
  4. bore — to tire
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. can — a tin
  8. fall — to drop
  9. bore — to drill
  10. fall — the season
  11. fall — to drop
  12. field — farmland
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. field — for sport
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. can — a tin
  18. bear — the animal
  19. can — to be able to
  20. bear — the animal
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. field — a subject
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. coach — a trainer

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