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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. The water is too ________________.
  2. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  18. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. bore — to drill
  3. band — a ring
  4. bank — of a river
  5. band — a music group
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. field — a subject
  8. mate — a partner
  9. bank — for money
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. current — of water
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. toast — bread
  14. current — electric
  15. current — happening now
  16. mate — to breed
  17. toast — the most admired
  18. toast — a drink to someone
  19. field — farmland
  20. bank — for money
  21. field — for sport
  22. bore — to tire
  23. mate — a friend
  24. cold — an illness

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