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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 reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. bound — tied together
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. dip — to sink
  5. track — to keep track
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. tear — from crying
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. tear — from crying
  10. drill — the tool
  11. tear — to rip
  12. drill — a practice
  13. bore — to drill
  14. track — a song
  15. bore — to tire
  16. drill — army training
  17. field — for sport
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. track — a path
  20. bound — obliged
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. bound — certain
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. field — a subject

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