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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. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. band — a music group
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. mug — a face
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. drill — a practice
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. bore — to tire
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. bore — to drill
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. drill — army training
  17. band — a ring
  18. drill — the tool
  19. stem — to come from
  20. mug — a cup
  21. field — a subject
  22. mug — to rob
  23. field — for sport
  24. cabinet — ministers

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