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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. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. When will it ________________ you to start?
  15. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. field — farmland
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. spring — the season
  5. bore — to drill
  6. spring — a coil
  7. band — a music group
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. bore — to tire
  10. field — a subject
  11. suit — clothes
  12. season — in sport
  13. spring — of water
  14. suit — to fit
  15. suit — in cards
  16. band — a ring
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. rest — what's left
  19. field — for sport
  20. last — to go on
  21. season — of the year
  22. last — final
  23. last — finally
  24. rest — a break

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