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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: saw · suit · march · clip · spell · object · bore · field

  1. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. When will it ________________ you to start?

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. clip — for paper
  3. field — a subject
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. march — music
  6. field — farmland
  7. suit — in cards
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. object — an aim
  10. spell — magic
  11. bore — to drill
  12. saw — the tool
  13. saw — the tool
  14. clip — to cut
  15. object — to protest
  16. clip — a video
  17. spell — a short time
  18. suit — clothes
  19. march — the month
  20. field — for sport
  21. object — a thing
  22. spell — letters
  23. march — the month
  24. suit — to fit

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