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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 124 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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. When was this ________________ built?
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. temple — side of the head
  3. field — a subject
  4. field — farmland
  5. bore — to tire
  6. net — for catching
  7. net — in sport
  8. rock — a stone
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. bore — to drill
  11. bass — the fish
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. mate — to breed
  18. field — for sport
  19. bass — low music
  20. prune — to trim
  21. mate — a friend
  22. mate — a partner
  23. net — after costs
  24. prune — to trim

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