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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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. last — final
  3. last — finally
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. bear — the animal
  6. bore — to drill
  7. bulb — for light
  8. bear — the animal
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. present — the time now
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. present — there
  14. drill — a practice
  15. drill — army training
  16. bore — to tire
  17. mark — a grade
  18. bulb — for light
  19. present — a gift
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. last — to go on
  23. drill — the tool
  24. mark — a trace

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