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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 124 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. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to drill
  2. land — a country
  3. land — to come down
  4. field — for sport
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. chip — to eat
  7. field — a subject
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. bore — to tire
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. stem — to come from
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. prune — to trim
  19. bulb — for light
  20. field — farmland
  21. land — ground
  22. prune — to trim
  23. bulb — for light
  24. chip — for betting

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