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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.

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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: bound · object · roll · field · hide · bore · game · stem

  1. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. We're on a ________________ here.
  8. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a cake
  2. bore — to drill
  3. bound — tied together
  4. bore — to tire
  5. object — an aim
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. roll — on a roll
  8. object — a thing
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. field — for sport
  12. stem — to come from
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. game — wild animals
  15. object — to protest
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. field — a subject
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. bound — obliged
  20. bound — certain
  21. field — farmland
  22. roll — a list
  23. bore — gave birth
  24. game — a match

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