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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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. object — a thing
  4. bore — to tire
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. object — to protest
  7. rash — hasty
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. season — in sport
  10. bulb — for light
  11. bore — to drill
  12. season — of the year
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. bulb — for light
  15. bear — the animal
  16. spring — a coil
  17. object — an aim
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. bear — the animal
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. spring — of water
  22. rash — a series
  23. spring — the season
  24. bulb — of a plant

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