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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. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. cap — a lid
  3. row — to paddle
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. field — a subject
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. pop — soda
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. cap — a hat
  12. pop — music
  13. cap — of ice
  14. row — a line
  15. perch — the fish
  16. bore — to tire
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. field — farmland
  20. field — for sport
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. bore — to drill
  23. pop — to visit
  24. perch — for a bird

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