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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: season · foot · bore · mine · saw · lean · court · field

  1. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. bore — to drill
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. field — a subject
  5. season — of the year
  6. lean — thin
  7. field — farmland
  8. field — for sport
  9. court — of law
  10. foot — part of the body
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. court — for sport
  13. foot — a measure
  14. bore — to tire
  15. saw — the tool
  16. lean — to bend
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. season — in sport
  21. court — of a king
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. saw — the tool
  24. foot — the bottom

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