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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. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. Have you settled on a ________________?
  23. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to drill
  2. bore — to tire
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. field — a subject
  9. bulb — for light
  10. mine — for digging
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. kick — in football
  13. mate — a friend
  14. tear — to rip
  15. mate — to breed
  16. mate — a partner
  17. bulb — for light
  18. field — farmland
  19. tear — from crying
  20. tear — from crying
  21. field — for sport
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. date — the fruit
  24. mine — belonging to me

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