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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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. The tickets are free of ________________.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  21. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. bore — to drill
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. stick — to attach or keep to
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. clip — for paper
  8. field — for sport
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. field — a subject
  12. charge — a price
  13. clip — a video
  14. shower — rain
  15. stem — to come from
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. clip — to cut
  19. shower — to wash
  20. charge — electricity
  21. charge — in control
  22. field — farmland
  23. bore — to tire
  24. rush — to hurry

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