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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. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. bore — to drill
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. bulb — for light
  7. wound — an injury
  8. bulb — for light
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. bound — tied together
  11. rock — a stone
  12. bound — obliged
  13. bound — certain
  14. game — wild animals
  15. game — a match
  16. rock — music
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. saw — the tool
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. saw — the tool
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. wound — an injury

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