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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
468
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 · mine · branch · charge · field · march · fan · patient

  1. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. The tickets are free of ________________.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to drill
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. field — for sport
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. mine — for digging
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. march — the month
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. march — music
  13. field — farmland
  14. charge — electricity
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. charge — in control
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. branch — a division
  21. field — a subject
  22. charge — a price
  23. march — the month
  24. bore — to tire

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