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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. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. mark — a grade
  5. bulb — for light
  6. mark — a trace
  7. file — a document
  8. wind — moving air
  9. object — an aim
  10. bore — to drill
  11. object — to protest
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. object — a thing
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. kid — child
  16. kid — to tease
  17. wind — moving air
  18. file — a tool
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. bulb — for light
  24. file — a line of people

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