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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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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: rest · cell · field · stick · firm · bore · snap · season

  1. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  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. bore — gave birth
  2. field — farmland
  3. rest — a break
  4. field — a subject
  5. bore — to drill
  6. firm — steady
  7. rest — what's left
  8. bore — to tire
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. season — in sport
  12. firm — a company
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. snap — to click
  15. season — of the year
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. firm — decided
  18. field — for sport
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. cell — in biology
  21. rest — what's left
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. cell — a phone
  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