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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. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. I've got to change the light ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. bore — to drill
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. fork — in a road
  5. spring — a coil
  6. cold — an illness
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. cell — a phone
  10. bore — to tire
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. cell — in biology
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. rock — a stone
  18. cold — not warm
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. spring — the season
  21. bulb — for light
  22. rock — music
  23. leaves — of a tree
  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