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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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. When will it ________________ you to start?
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. The tickets are free of ________________.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. charge — in control
  3. field — for sport
  4. ground — a position
  5. field — a subject
  6. suit — to fit
  7. tear — from crying
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. charge — electricity
  10. suit — in cards
  11. field — farmland
  12. bore — to tire
  13. tear — to rip
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. spring — of water
  16. charge — a price
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. spring — the season
  19. suit — clothes
  20. ground — crushed
  21. bore — to drill
  22. tear — from crying
  23. bore — gave birth
  24. ground — the earth

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