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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 120 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: kick · bore · mug · cabinet · wind · bulb · bay · court

  1. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. My mare is ________________ in color.
  15. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. court — for sport
  3. bulb — for light
  4. kick — in football
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. bore — to tire
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. mug — to rob
  9. mug — a cup
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. wind — moving air
  14. bay — a horse colour
  15. bay — to keep at bay
  16. wind — moving air
  17. bore — to drill
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. court — of a king
  20. bulb — for light
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. bay — a part of the sea
  23. court — of law
  24. mug — a face

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