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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: fine · bore · field · bay · spring · kid · sharp · land

  1. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. My mare is ________________ in color.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — to keep at bay
  2. spring — of water
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. fine — all right
  5. sharp — clever
  6. bay — a part of the sea
  7. field — a subject
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. bore — to tire
  10. bay — a horse colour
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. field — for sport
  13. fine — high quality
  14. land — to come down
  15. spring — a coil
  16. kid — to tease
  17. land — a country
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. spring — the season
  20. field — farmland
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. kid — child
  23. land — ground
  24. bore — to drill

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