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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. I've got to change the light ________________.
  2. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  18. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  19. Have you settled on a ________________?
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. bore — to drill
  3. tear — to rip
  4. bulb — for light
  5. safe — a strongbox
  6. tear — from crying
  7. land — to come down
  8. wound — an injury
  9. bass — the fish
  10. bass — low music
  11. land — a country
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. bore — to tire
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. wound — an injury
  16. tear — from crying
  17. date — the fruit
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. land — ground
  24. date — on the calendar

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