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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 120 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. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. prune — to trim
  4. file — a tool
  5. bear — the animal
  6. bore — to tire
  7. net — for catching
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. file — a line of people
  11. bulb — for light
  12. fall — the season
  13. bore — to drill
  14. fall — to drop
  15. file — a document
  16. net — in sport
  17. bulb — for light
  18. fall — to drop
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. prune — to trim
  21. net — after costs
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. bear — the animal
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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