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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. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. drill — army training
  3. field — farmland
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. drill — the tool
  6. staff — employees
  7. bore — to tire
  8. chip — to eat
  9. game — wild animals
  10. field — a subject
  11. field — for sport
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. rest — what's left
  14. staff — a stick
  15. chip — for betting
  16. rest — a break
  17. staff — employees
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. rest — what's left
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. bore — to drill
  22. drill — a practice
  23. chip — in a computer
  24. game — a match

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