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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. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to drill
  2. bore — to tire
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. bulb — for light
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. bulb — for light
  7. face — to point toward
  8. tube — the underground
  9. drill — a practice
  10. pit — a hole
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. pit — in a race
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. tube — a container
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. face — to confront
  18. drill — the tool
  19. shower — to wash
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. face — part of the head
  22. wake — a trail
  23. drill — army training
  24. shower — rain

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