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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. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. rash — a series
  3. face — part of the head
  4. bore — to drill
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. bear — the animal
  8. field — farmland
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. face — to confront
  11. field — for sport
  12. rash — hasty
  13. bear — the animal
  14. bore — to tire
  15. land — ground
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. land — a country
  18. field — a subject
  19. band — a music group
  20. band — a ring
  21. mark — a trace
  22. face — to point toward
  23. land — to come down
  24. mark — a grade

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