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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: kid · can · fan · rush · bore · firm · field · foot

  1. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. firm — decided
  3. field — a subject
  4. kid — to tease
  5. bore — to drill
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. foot — a measure
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. field — for sport
  14. rush — hurry
  15. can — a tin
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. firm — a company
  19. bore — to tire
  20. field — farmland
  21. firm — steady
  22. can — to be able to
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. can — a tin

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