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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: mine · bore · lean · perch · field · nail · net · snap

  1. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. field — for sport
  3. bore — to drill
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. net — for catching
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. field — a subject
  8. net — in sport
  9. field — farmland
  10. bore — to tire
  11. lean — thin
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. net — after costs
  15. mine — for digging
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. perch — the fish
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. snap — to click
  24. lean — to rest against

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