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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. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. season — in sport
  3. bore — to drill
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. net — after costs
  6. land — ground
  7. field — farmland
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. ruler — a monarch
  10. bear — the animal
  11. net — for catching
  12. bear — the animal
  13. land — to come down
  14. season — of the year
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. net — in sport
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. field — a subject
  19. field — for sport
  20. land — a country
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. bore — gave birth
  24. ruler — for measuring

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