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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 ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. bore — to tire
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. field — a subject
  6. game — wild animals
  7. pit — in a race
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. field — for sport
  10. bore — to drill
  11. saw — the tool
  12. field — farmland
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. pit — a hole
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. bark — to shout
  21. game — a match
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. lie — to recline
  24. saw — the tool

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