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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 120 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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. club — for golf
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. bear — the animal
  7. club — a group
  8. club — for dancing
  9. field — farmland
  10. face — part of the head
  11. field — a subject
  12. field — for sport
  13. face — to point toward
  14. bass — low music
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. face — to confront
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. bore — to drill
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. bear — the animal
  23. bass — the fish
  24. bore — to tire

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