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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. kid — to tease
  3. kid — child
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. key — in music
  6. bulb — for light
  7. tear — from crying
  8. mine — for digging
  9. tear — to rip
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. key — for a lock
  13. rush — hurry
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. scale — size or range
  16. bulb — for light
  17. tear — from crying
  18. bore — to drill
  19. scale — in music
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. bore — to tire
  22. key — the most important part
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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