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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. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. root — of a word
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. bulb — for light
  8. root — of a plant
  9. cold — an illness
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. present — the time now
  12. root — the cause
  13. bore — to drill
  14. cold — not warm
  15. present — there
  16. bore — to tire
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. present — a gift
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. bulb — for light
  24. pitcher — a jug

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