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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: pop · staff · net · tear · tube · bore · bank · field

  1. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  2. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to drill
  2. bank — of a river
  3. pop — to visit
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. staff — employees
  6. tube — the underground
  7. bank — for money
  8. bore — to tire
  9. net — for catching
  10. field — for sport
  11. bank — for money
  12. staff — a stick
  13. pop — music
  14. staff — employees
  15. field — farmland
  16. tube — a container
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. tear — to rip
  19. pop — soda
  20. tear — from crying
  21. net — after costs
  22. net — in sport
  23. field — a subject
  24. tear — from crying

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