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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. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. My father caught me by the ________________.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. band — a music group
  3. bulb — for light
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. hand — help
  6. snap — to click
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. bore — to tire
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. plane — a tool
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. band — a ring
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. mine — for digging
  20. hand — in cards
  21. bulb — for light
  22. bore — to drill
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. arm — a part of something

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