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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. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. Have you settled on a ________________?
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. bulb — for light
  4. rest — what's left
  5. bore — to tire
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. bulb — for light
  8. track — a path
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. cap — a lid
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. rest — what's left
  14. cap — a hat
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. rest — a break
  18. track — a song
  19. bore — to drill
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. date — the fruit
  22. cap — of ice
  23. snap — to click
  24. track — to keep track

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