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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 · field · mine · suit · bore · press · bulb · pound

  1. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. When will it ________________ you to start?
  18. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. press — a publisher
  3. field — a subject
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. bore — to tire
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. bulb — for light
  9. suit — clothes
  10. kid — child
  11. kid — to tease
  12. press — to push
  13. press — newspapers
  14. mine — for digging
  15. field — farmland
  16. bore — to drill
  17. suit — to fit
  18. suit — in cards
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. pound — a weight
  22. bulb — for light
  23. bore — gave birth
  24. field — for 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