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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.

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: bark · bowl · field · racket · press · mine · land · bore

  1. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. press — a publisher
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. press — newspapers
  8. land — to come down
  9. land — a country
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. bore — to tire
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. press — to push
  14. field — a subject
  15. bark — to shout
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. mine — for digging
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. field — for sport
  22. bore — to drill
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. land — ground

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