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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 124 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. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. bulb — for light
  4. bulb — for light
  5. root — of a plant
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. scale — in music
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. bore — to drill
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. chest — of your body
  14. bore — to tire
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. root — the cause
  17. squash — the sport
  18. bark — to shout
  19. chest — of your body
  20. mine — for digging
  21. scale — size or range
  22. root — of a word
  23. chest — a box
  24. bulb — of a plant

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