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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.

Words on the sheet
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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: bore · tear · saw · field · stick · coach · patient · charge

  1. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. The tickets are free of ________________.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. field — a subject
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. saw — the tool
  7. field — for sport
  8. saw — the tool
  9. charge — in control
  10. bore — to tire
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. charge — a price
  14. tear — from crying
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. charge — electricity
  19. tear — to rip
  20. field — farmland
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. bore — to drill
  24. bore — gave birth

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