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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 116 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: staff · board · lash · spell · bore · kid · field · mate

  1. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. mate — a partner
  3. field — for sport
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. field — a subject
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. staff — a stick
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. board — to get on
  11. bore — to tire
  12. field — farmland
  13. spell — magic
  14. mate — a friend
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. staff — employees
  17. spell — a short time
  18. bore — to drill
  19. board — a committee
  20. kid — to tease
  21. kid — child
  22. spell — letters
  23. staff — employees
  24. mate — to breed

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