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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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. ball — a great time
  3. bore — to tire
  4. bulb — for light
  5. last — final
  6. fine — high quality
  7. ball — a dance
  8. spring — of water
  9. last — to go on
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. spring — the season
  14. fine — all right
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. branch — a division
  17. bore — to drill
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. spring — a coil
  23. bulb — for light
  24. branch — of a bank

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