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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 116 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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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: bore · field · pit · stand · content · wind · pass · wound

  1. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. I can't ________________ this cold.
  16. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  17. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  18. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. wind — moving air
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. pass — to spend time
  5. field — farmland
  6. wound — an injury
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. field — for sport
  9. field — a subject
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. bore — to drill
  12. wound — an injury
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. pit — in a race
  15. stand — to bear
  16. pass — to succeed
  17. pass — a permit
  18. stand — on your feet
  19. content — the amount
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. pit — a hole
  22. stand — for spectators
  23. content — happy
  24. wind — moving air

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