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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. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  2. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. bore — to drill
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. season — in sport
  5. land — a country
  6. cold — an illness
  7. bulb — for light
  8. bore — to tire
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. season — of the year
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. cap — a lid
  16. cap — of ice
  17. land — ground
  18. bulb — for light
  19. land — to come down
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. cold — not warm
  22. cap — a hat
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. bark — to shout

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