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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. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. bulb — for light
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. capital — money
  5. bore — to drill
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. bulb — for light
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. march — the month
  13. bore — to tire
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. march — the month
  17. march — music
  18. wind — moving air
  19. capital — a city
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. wind — moving air
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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