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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 116 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.

Words on the sheet
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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: tube · plane · present · field · mate · pit · cold · bore

  1. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. present — the time now
  2. bore — to tire
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. mate — a partner
  5. cold — an illness
  6. tube — a container
  7. field — a subject
  8. field — for sport
  9. mate — a friend
  10. tube — the underground
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. cold — not warm
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. mate — to breed
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. present — there
  18. pit — in a race
  19. plane — a tool
  20. pit — a hole
  21. bore — to drill
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. field — farmland
  24. present — a gift

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