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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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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: wound · last · roll · bore · arm · field · rash · pit

  1. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. We're on a ________________ here.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  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. wound — an injury
  2. rash — a series
  3. bore — to tire
  4. pit — a hole
  5. wound — an injury
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. roll — a cake
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. roll — on a roll
  12. pit — in a race
  13. last — to go on
  14. bore — to drill
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. field — for sport
  17. last — finally
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. field — farmland
  20. rash — hasty
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. roll — a list
  23. last — final
  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