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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. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. bulb — for light
  3. field — farmland
  4. row — to paddle
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. field — a subject
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. key — for a lock
  10. bore — to drill
  11. vault — a safe
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. key — the most important part
  14. wax — to grow
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. row — a line
  17. bulb — for light
  18. vault — an arched ceiling
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. key — in music
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. field — for sport

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