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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. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  12. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. rock — music
  3. bulb — for light
  4. scale — in music
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. scale — size or range
  8. craft — boats
  9. face — to point toward
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. craft — a skill
  12. craft — a handicraft
  13. face — part of the head
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. bore — to drill
  17. bulb — for light
  18. rock — a stone
  19. field — a subject
  20. bore — to tire
  21. field — farmland
  22. face — to confront
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. field — for sport

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