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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. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. bore — to tire
  3. bore — to drill
  4. field — for sport
  5. pitch — completely
  6. field — a subject
  7. plane — a tool
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. root — of a plant
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. field — farmland
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. root — the cause
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. branch — a division
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. kid — child
  20. kid — to tease
  21. pass — a permit
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. root — of a word

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