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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: rock · wake · suit · field · hand · march · bore · tube

  1. When will it ________________ you to start?
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — to fit
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. suit — clothes
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. suit — in cards
  7. tube — a container
  8. hand — in cards
  9. rock — a stone
  10. bore — to drill
  11. march — music
  12. field — for sport
  13. tube — the underground
  14. rock — music
  15. hand — help
  16. wake — a trail
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. field — farmland
  19. march — the month
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. bore — to tire
  22. field — a subject
  23. march — the month
  24. rock — to move gently

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