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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. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. bulb — for light
  5. mine — for digging
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. bark — to shout
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. ruler — a monarch
  11. row — to paddle
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. bore — to drill
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. row — a line
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. dip — to sink
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. bulb — for light

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