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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. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. bass — low music
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. bass — the fish
  6. ruler — a monarch
  7. bore — to tire
  8. bulb — for light
  9. field — farmland
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. march — music
  12. bulb — for light
  13. row — a line
  14. field — a subject
  15. row — to paddle
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. field — for sport
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. bore — to drill
  22. march — the month
  23. bore — gave birth
  24. ruler — for measuring

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