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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. I've got to change the light ________________.
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. spring — the season
  4. tube — a container
  5. tube — the underground
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. spring — a coil
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. safe — a strongbox
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. season — of the year
  16. bore — to drill
  17. bulb — for light
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. bore — to tire
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. spring — of water
  22. cold — not warm
  23. season — in sport
  24. cold — an illness

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