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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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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: field · bore · spell · ruler · board · wake · bulb · net

  1. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. net — in sport
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. bulb — for light
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. wake — a trail
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. board — a committee
  10. spell — a short time
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. spell — magic
  13. field — for sport
  14. ruler — a monarch
  15. field — a subject
  16. bore — to tire
  17. field — farmland
  18. net — after costs
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. bore — to drill
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. net — for catching
  23. bulb — for light
  24. board — to get on

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