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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 116 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. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. bulb — for light
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. wind — moving air
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. bore — to tire
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. fork — in a road
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. tube — the underground
  12. march — the month
  13. stock — goods
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. stock — shares
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. tube — a container
  20. bulb — for light
  21. march — the month
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. bore — to drill
  24. wind — moving air

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