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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. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. When was this ________________ built?
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. Have you settled on a ________________?
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  18. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. mine — for digging
  3. bore — to tire
  4. sharp — clever
  5. date — the fruit
  6. fall — to drop
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. bore — to drill
  10. fall — to drop
  11. rush — hurry
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. temple — side of the head
  19. fall — the season
  20. bulb — for light
  21. bulb — for light
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. rush — to hurry

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