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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. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. field — a subject
  3. sharp — clever
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. wind — moving air
  6. stem — to come from
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. bore — to tire
  9. saw — the tool
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. pass — a permit
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. field — farmland
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. saw — the tool
  17. field — for sport
  18. bore — to drill
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. bound — tied together
  22. bound — certain
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. bound — obliged

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