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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. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. cell — a phone
  4. scale — size or range
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. can — a tin
  7. rest — a break
  8. bore — to drill
  9. scale — in music
  10. wound — an injury
  11. can — a tin
  12. hand — help
  13. rest — what's left
  14. hand — in cards
  15. wound — an injury
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. bulb — for light
  18. bore — to tire
  19. bulb — for light
  20. can — to be able to
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. cell — in biology
  23. bore — gave birth
  24. rest — what's left

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