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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. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. present — the time now
  6. bore — to drill
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. bore — to tire
  9. bulb — for light
  10. field — for sport
  11. wave — of the sea
  12. cell — in biology
  13. field — a subject
  14. field — farmland
  15. bass — low music
  16. bulb — for light
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. bass — the fish
  19. present — a gift
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. cell — a phone
  24. cabinet — ministers

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