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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 party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. bank — for money
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. perch — the fish
  7. bore — to drill
  8. field — farmland
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. field — a subject
  12. ground — a position
  13. bank — of a river
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. rash — hasty
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. bank — for money
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. pitch — completely
  20. ground — the earth
  21. stem — to come from
  22. field — for sport
  23. bore — to tire
  24. ground — crushed

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