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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: field · wake · rush · bore · bear · drill · lie · pass

  1. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. bore — to drill
  3. lie — to recline
  4. field — a subject
  5. field — for sport
  6. field — farmland
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. pass — to succeed
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. bear — the animal
  15. drill — the tool
  16. wake — a trail
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. drill — a practice
  19. bear — the animal
  20. bore — to tire
  21. pass — a permit
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. drill — army training
  24. rush — a thrill

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