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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: calf · bore · firm · cabinet · field · kid · row · saw

  1. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. kid — child
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. field — farmland
  10. firm — decided
  11. kid — to tease
  12. field — for sport
  13. saw — the tool
  14. row — to paddle
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. firm — steady
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. saw — the tool
  19. bore — to drill
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. bore — to tire
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. firm — a company
  24. row — a line

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