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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. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — in a computer
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. bore — to drill
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. ground — a position
  6. rash — hasty
  7. chip — to eat
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. swing — to play on
  12. bulb — for light
  13. bore — to tire
  14. bulb — for light
  15. bark — to shout
  16. chip — for betting
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. swing — in golf
  19. ground — crushed
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. ground — the earth
  23. swing — music
  24. rash — a series

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