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

Word bank: temple · field · rest · bore · bat · saw · sharp · branch

  1. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. When was this ________________ built?
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. rest — a break
  4. field — for sport
  5. bore — to drill
  6. temple — side of the head
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. saw — the tool
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. rest — what's left
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. field — farmland
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. field — a subject
  17. sharp — clever
  18. rest — what's left
  19. bat — the animal
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. saw — the tool
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. branch — a division

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