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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. When are we going to ________________?
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. lean — to bend
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. lean — thin
  7. mine — for digging
  8. land — ground
  9. land — a country
  10. bore — to tire
  11. race — humankind
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. bore — to drill
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. bark — to shout
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. race — a contest
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. bulb — for light
  23. race — the arms race
  24. bulb — for light

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