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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. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. When will it ________________ you to start?
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  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. cap — a lid
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. spring — a coil
  4. bulb — for light
  5. spring — the season
  6. field — farmland
  7. wound — an injury
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. cap — a hat
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. suit — in cards
  12. bore — to drill
  13. suit — to fit
  14. bore — to tire
  15. cap — of ice
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. field — for sport
  19. suit — clothes
  20. wound — an injury
  21. spring — of water
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. field — a subject
  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