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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. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — for spectators
  2. bore — to tire
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. plane — a tool
  8. sharp — clever
  9. bore — to drill
  10. prune — to trim
  11. cell — in biology
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. tube — the underground
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. bulb — for light
  16. cell — a phone
  17. stand — to bear
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. stand — on your feet
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. prune — to trim
  23. bulb — for light
  24. tube — a container

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