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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: content · mark · bank · hide · bore · rule · fork · field

  1. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. bank — of a river
  3. field — a subject
  4. mark — a grade
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. fork — in a road
  9. field — farmland
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. content — happy
  12. bank — for money
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. bore — to drill
  15. bore — to tire
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. rule — government
  20. content — the amount
  21. mark — a trace
  22. bank — for money
  23. field — for sport
  24. bore — gave birth

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