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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. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. tube — the underground
  3. craft — a handicraft
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. hand — help
  6. rest — what's left
  7. rest — a break
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. craft — a skill
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. bore — to tire
  12. craft — boats
  13. bulb — for light
  14. bore — to drill
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. tube — a container
  17. prune — to trim
  18. prune — to trim
  19. bulb — for light
  20. rest — what's left
  21. hand — in cards
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. bowl — a football final

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