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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: patient · bore · season · temple · pitch · field · tear · trunk

  1. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. bore — to drill
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. tear — from crying
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. pitch — completely
  9. tear — to rip
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. field — a subject
  13. temple — side of the head
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. field — for sport
  17. bore — to tire
  18. field — farmland
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. season — of the year
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. season — in sport
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. season — to add flavour

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