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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 116 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. I can't ________________ this cold.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. field — a subject
  3. bear — the animal
  4. can — to be able to
  5. bear — the animal
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. band — a music group
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. bore — to tire
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. field — farmland
  14. band — a ring
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. wound — an injury
  17. bore — to drill
  18. wound — an injury
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. can — a tin
  21. field — for sport
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. can — a tin
  24. band — a rubber band

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