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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 120 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 stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. stock — shares
  4. bore — to tire
  5. stock — goods
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. row — to paddle
  9. row — a line
  10. foot — the bottom
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. band — a ring
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. bore — to drill
  18. band — a music group
  19. foot — a measure
  20. field — farmland
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. field — a subject
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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