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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 120 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: bulb · field · temple · spring · press · game · bore · ground

  1. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. When was this ________________ built?
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to drill
  2. ground — a position
  3. spring — a coil
  4. game — wild animals
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. press — a publisher
  7. field — for sport
  8. game — a match
  9. ground — crushed
  10. spring — the season
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. press — newspapers
  13. temple — side of the head
  14. bore — to tire
  15. ground — the earth
  16. bulb — for light
  17. bulb — for light
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. field — farmland
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. press — to push
  23. spring — of water
  24. field — a subject

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