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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: lean · cap · field · rush · ball · land · bat · bore

  1. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. bore — to drill
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. lean — to bend
  6. bore — to tire
  7. field — for sport
  8. land — ground
  9. land — to come down
  10. field — farmland
  11. cap — a hat
  12. land — a country
  13. ball — a dance
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. bat — the animal
  18. ball — a great time
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. field — a subject
  21. cap — a lid
  22. cap — of ice
  23. lean — thin
  24. ball — a round shape

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