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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. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  14. The tickets are free of ________________.
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. Have you settled on a ________________?
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to drill
  2. field — farmland
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. bore — to tire
  8. field — for sport
  9. date — the fruit
  10. spell — a short time
  11. bark — to shout
  12. spell — magic
  13. pass — a permit
  14. charge — a price
  15. charge — in control
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. charge — electricity
  18. branch — a division
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. pass — to spend time
  21. field — a subject
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. spell — letters
  24. branch — of a tree

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