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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. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  20. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. present — the time now
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. kid — child
  5. present — there
  6. wave — of the sea
  7. field — a subject
  8. field — farmland
  9. bore — to tire
  10. bore — to drill
  11. kid — to tease
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. root — the cause
  14. present — a gift
  15. root — of a plant
  16. drill — army training
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. drill — the tool
  19. wave — a sudden rise
  20. wave — with your hand
  21. drill — a practice
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. root — of a word
  24. bore — gave birth

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