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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. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — to handle
  2. bulb — for light
  3. rock — music
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. wind — moving air
  6. row — to paddle
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. spell — magic
  9. bore — to tire
  10. rock — a stone
  11. spell — letters
  12. spell — a short time
  13. bore — to drill
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. bulb — for light
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. row — a line
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. wind — moving air
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. bore — gave birth

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