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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: object · field · bore · stand · pound · land · drill · mug

  1. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  21. I can't ________________ this cold.
  22. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to drill
  2. drill — army training
  3. land — ground
  4. mug — to rob
  5. bore — to tire
  6. object — to protest
  7. object — an aim
  8. field — a subject
  9. drill — the tool
  10. stand — for spectators
  11. field — for sport
  12. pound — to hit hard
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. land — to come down
  15. drill — a practice
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. pound — a weight
  18. land — a country
  19. mug — a cup
  20. object — a thing
  21. stand — to bear
  22. mug — a face
  23. field — farmland
  24. stand — on your feet

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