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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 players ran onto the football ________________.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. pop — to visit
  3. saw — the tool
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. bank — for money
  6. land — ground
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. bore — to drill
  9. bank — of a river
  10. root — of a word
  11. land — to come down
  12. pitch — completely
  13. saw — the tool
  14. root — of a plant
  15. bore — to tire
  16. land — a country
  17. pop — music
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. root — the cause
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. bank — for money
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. pop — soda
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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