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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: bark · file · field · press · chip · bore · lie · bound

  1. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. field — for sport
  3. bark — to shout
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. chip — for betting
  6. press — newspapers
  7. bore — to drill
  8. chip — to eat
  9. file — a tool
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. lie — to recline
  12. field — farmland
  13. press — to push
  14. file — a document
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. bound — certain
  19. bound — obliged
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. bore — to tire
  22. file — a line of people
  23. press — a publisher
  24. bound — tied together

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