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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. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. rest — a break
  3. rash — hasty
  4. bulb — for light
  5. degree — from a university
  6. craft — a skill
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. degree — an amount
  9. bore — to drill
  10. craft — boats
  11. rash — a series
  12. bore — to tire
  13. spell — magic
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. bulb — for light
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. rest — what's left
  18. rest — what's left
  19. mine — for digging
  20. degree — temperature
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. spell — a short time
  24. spell — letters

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