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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: spring · fine · bulb · rash · court · cell · fan · bore

  1. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  2. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to drill
  2. bulb — for light
  3. bulb — for light
  4. court — of a king
  5. fine — high quality
  6. cell — in biology
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. spring — of water
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. rash — hasty
  12. spring — a coil
  13. court — of law
  14. fine — all right
  15. spring — the season
  16. bore — to tire
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. cell — a phone
  19. court — for sport
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. rash — a series
  24. fan — to cool the air

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