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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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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: root · firm · band · field · bore · patient · stick · row

  1. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  8. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. firm — a company
  4. row — a line
  5. band — a ring
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. firm — decided
  8. firm — steady
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. root — the cause
  11. row — to paddle
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. bore — to drill
  14. root — of a word
  15. field — farmland
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. field — a subject
  18. field — for sport
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. root — of a plant
  23. bore — to tire
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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