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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: field · lean · chest · present · pass · saw · fork · bore

  1. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. chest — of your body
  3. bore — to drill
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. fork — in a road
  6. lean — thin
  7. present — the time now
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. field — farmland
  10. present — there
  11. chest — of your body
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. saw — the tool
  14. chest — a box
  15. field — a subject
  16. present — a gift
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. bore — to tire
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. field — for sport
  21. lean — to bend
  22. saw — the tool
  23. pass — a permit
  24. bore — gave birth

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