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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. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to drill
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. march — the month
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. march — the month
  6. bear — the animal
  7. bore — to tire
  8. land — ground
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. land — to come down
  12. bulb — for light
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. bulb — for light
  15. root — the cause
  16. bear — the animal
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. root — of a word
  20. perch — the fish
  21. land — a country
  22. march — music
  23. root — of a plant
  24. bore — gave birth

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