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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. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. bore — to drill
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. rush — hurry
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. saw — the tool
  7. land — ground
  8. cap — a hat
  9. bulb — for light
  10. spell — a short time
  11. cap — a lid
  12. land — to come down
  13. saw — the tool
  14. land — a country
  15. march — the month
  16. bore — to tire
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. spell — letters
  19. spell — magic
  20. march — the month
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. march — music
  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