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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 120 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. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. cap — a hat
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. bulb — for light
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. bulb — for light
  8. bore — to drill
  9. cap — of ice
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. chair — a leader
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. hand — in cards
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. kid — to tease
  18. cap — a lid
  19. bore — to tire
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. kid — child
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. hand — help

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