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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: bulb · wake · kick · bear · drill · row

  1. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. wake — a trail
  3. row — a line
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. bulb — for light
  7. drill — army training
  8. row — to paddle
  9. bear — the animal
  10. drill — a practice
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. bulb — for light
  16. bear — the animal
  17. drill — the tool
  18. kick — in football

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