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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 120 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. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to drill
  2. field — farmland
  3. rule — a law
  4. bank — for money
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. spring — a coil
  9. bore — to tire
  10. stem — to come from
  11. bank — of a river
  12. rule — government
  13. bark — to shout
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. spring — of water
  16. mouse — for a computer
  17. field — for sport
  18. bank — for money
  19. field — a subject
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. spring — the season
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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