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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. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. We're on a ________________ here.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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. content — videos and posts
  4. content — the amount
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. game — wild animals
  8. club — for golf
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. stem — to come from
  11. bulb — for light
  12. content — happy
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. roll — a cake
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. roll — on a roll
  18. bulb — for light
  19. club — for dancing
  20. game — a match
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. club — a group
  23. roll — a list
  24. bore — gave birth

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