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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: rush · field · patient · key · charge · pound · bore · stem

  1. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  13. The tickets are free of ________________.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  22. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to drill
  2. bore — to tire
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. field — farmland
  5. key — for a lock
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. pound — a weight
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. stem — to come from
  12. charge — electricity
  13. charge — a price
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. field — for sport
  16. field — a subject
  17. key — the most important part
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. rush — hurry
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. charge — in control
  22. pound — for dogs
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. key — in music

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