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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. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. Have you settled on a ________________?
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. I can't ________________ this cold.
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. mate — a partner
  4. bore — to tire
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. field — farmland
  7. stand — for spectators
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. bore — to drill
  11. mate — a friend
  12. shower — rain
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. shower — to wash
  15. field — a subject
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. date — the fruit
  19. band — a music group
  20. band — a ring
  21. stand — to bear
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. mate — to breed

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