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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. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. I've got to change the light ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. mug — a face
  3. can — to be able to
  4. bore — to tire
  5. bass — the fish
  6. march — music
  7. can — a tin
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. bore — to drill
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. bass — low music
  12. march — the month
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. bulb — for light
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. mug — a cup
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. fall — to drop
  19. march — the month
  20. fall — to drop
  21. mug — to rob
  22. can — a tin
  23. fall — the season
  24. bulb — for light

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