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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. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. bound — certain
  3. bore — to drill
  4. degree — from a university
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. bound — obliged
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. degree — temperature
  9. field — a subject
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. bulb — for light
  12. bound — tied together
  13. degree — an amount
  14. wound — an injury
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. field — for sport
  18. wound — an injury
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. bore — to tire
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. mark — a trace
  23. bulb — for light
  24. mark — a grade

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