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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: bat · dip · chest · bulb · bore · perch · wound · stick

  1. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. chest — of your body
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. wound — an injury
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. chest — of your body
  12. chest — a box
  13. dip — to sink
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. bulb — for light
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. perch — the fish
  19. bulb — for light
  20. bore — to tire
  21. bat — the animal
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. dip — to dunk
  24. bore — to drill

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