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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 had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. bore — to tire
  4. board — to get on
  5. rush — hurry
  6. clip — for paper
  7. bulb — for light
  8. cold — not warm
  9. face — to point toward
  10. bulb — for light
  11. face — part of the head
  12. band — a ring
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. clip — to cut
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. clip — a video
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. board — a committee
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. face — to confront
  22. band — a music group
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. bore — to drill

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