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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. I've got to change the light ________________.
  2. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. bound — obliged
  4. spring — a coil
  5. bore — to tire
  6. spring — the season
  7. land — to come down
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. bore — to drill
  10. spring — of water
  11. band — a music group
  12. band — a ring
  13. bound — certain
  14. land — a country
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. bulb — for light
  17. prune — to trim
  18. bound — tied together
  19. land — ground
  20. season — of the year
  21. season — in sport
  22. prune — to trim
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. season — to add flavour

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