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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: firm · tube · bore · roll · perch · drill · kid · field

  1. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. We're on a ________________ here.
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  23. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  24. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. field — for sport
  3. firm — steady
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. tube — a container
  6. perch — the fish
  7. roll — a cake
  8. kid — to tease
  9. drill — the tool
  10. roll — on a roll
  11. bore — to drill
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. tube — the underground
  17. kid — child
  18. field — farmland
  19. drill — a practice
  20. firm — a company
  21. drill — army training
  22. roll — a list
  23. firm — decided
  24. bore — to tire

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