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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. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  2. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. The ________________ took off on time.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. mine — for digging
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. plane — an aircraft
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. bulb — for light
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. drill — army training
  10. bore — to tire
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. bulb — for light
  14. drill — a practice
  15. drill — the tool
  16. bore — to drill
  17. staff — employees
  18. plane — a tool
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. wake — a trail
  21. staff — employees
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. staff — a stick
  24. plane — in geometry

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