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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: game · bulb · bore · tear · cabinet · drill · present · chair

  1. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. present — a gift
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. drill — a practice
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. present — the time now
  8. chair — a leader
  9. game — wild animals
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. tear — from crying
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. drill — the tool
  16. bulb — for light
  17. game — a match
  18. bulb — for light
  19. tear — from crying
  20. bore — to drill
  21. present — there
  22. drill — army training
  23. bore — to tire
  24. tear — to rip

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