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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. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. pound — a weight
  3. swing — to play on
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. bore — to drill
  6. mine — for digging
  7. stand — to bear
  8. face — part of the head
  9. bulb — for light
  10. swing — in golf
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. face — to confront
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. stand — on your feet
  16. bore — to tire
  17. face — to point toward
  18. bulb — for light
  19. tube — the underground
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. stand — for spectators
  23. swing — music
  24. pound — for dogs

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