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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. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. tube — the underground
  7. bore — to tire
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. field — farmland
  11. rash — hasty
  12. field — for sport
  13. saw — the tool
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. saw — the tool
  16. bore — to drill
  17. mouse — for a computer
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. tube — a container
  20. rash — a series
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. dip — to sink
  24. rash — on the skin

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