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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: bore · net · pitcher · safe · leaves · clip · field · lean

  1. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  9. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to drill
  2. lean — thin
  3. field — for sport
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. clip — a video
  6. bore — to tire
  7. clip — for paper
  8. safe — a strongbox
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. field — a subject
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. net — for catching
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. lean — to bend
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. field — farmland
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. net — after costs
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. clip — to cut
  24. net — in sport

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