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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. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  18. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. bulb — for light
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. mate — a friend
  6. spring — a coil
  7. mate — a partner
  8. bore — to tire
  9. bore — to drill
  10. spring — the season
  11. kid — to tease
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. bulb — for light
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. spring — of water
  16. rash — hasty
  17. jam — to spread on bread
  18. jam — a tight spot
  19. rash — a series
  20. rush — hurry
  21. kid — child
  22. jam — in traffic
  23. mate — to breed
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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