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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. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to drill
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. bulb — for light
  4. rest — a break
  5. file — a tool
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. band — a music group
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. chest — of your body
  10. bulb — for light
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. rest — what's left
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. rest — what's left
  15. bore — to tire
  16. file — a line of people
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. file — a document
  20. band — a ring
  21. chest — of your body
  22. chest — a box
  23. rash — hasty
  24. rash — a series

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