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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. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  6. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. I can't ________________ this cold.
  9. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  24. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. bank — for money
  4. last — final
  5. stand — for spectators
  6. bank — of a river
  7. field — a subject
  8. stand — to bear
  9. bank — for money
  10. last — finally
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. field — for sport
  13. firm — decided
  14. bore — to tire
  15. bore — to drill
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. last — to go on
  18. stand — on your feet
  19. rule — a law
  20. firm — steady
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. firm — a company
  24. rule — government

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