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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: field · spell · pound · leaves · bore · clip · mark · rash

  1. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. field — for sport
  3. spell — magic
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. spell — letters
  6. pound — a weight
  7. mark — a trace
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. field — a subject
  10. rash — hasty
  11. spell — a short time
  12. clip — to cut
  13. rash — a series
  14. clip — a video
  15. mark — a grade
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. field — farmland
  19. bore — to tire
  20. clip — for paper
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. bore — to drill

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