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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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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: lean · tear · field · bore · mark · bat · face · present

  1. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. field — a subject
  3. tear — from crying
  4. bore — to drill
  5. face — to confront
  6. tear — to rip
  7. bore — to tire
  8. present — the time now
  9. lean — to bend
  10. mark — a grade
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. tear — from crying
  13. face — part of the head
  14. present — there
  15. bat — the animal
  16. lean — thin
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. field — for sport
  20. face — to point toward
  21. mark — a trace
  22. present — a gift
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. field — farmland

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