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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. I've got to change the light ________________.
  2. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. bore — to drill
  3. fork — in a road
  4. bulb — for light
  5. chest — a box
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. chest — of your body
  9. spring — a coil
  10. rush — hurry
  11. degree — an amount
  12. degree — temperature
  13. march — the month
  14. degree — from a university
  15. spring — the season
  16. bore — to tire
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. march — the month
  20. spring — of water
  21. chest — of your body
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. march — music

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