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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 116 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. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. kid — child
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. object — to protest
  6. land — a country
  7. bass — the fish
  8. land — to come down
  9. land — ground
  10. clip — a video
  11. object — a thing
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. spring — of water
  14. bulb — for light
  15. spring — a coil
  16. clip — to cut
  17. bulb — for light
  18. kid — to tease
  19. bore — to drill
  20. clip — for paper
  21. bass — low music
  22. bore — to tire
  23. object — an aim
  24. spring — the season

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