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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: lean · rash · cold · bulb · tube · staff · bore · pit

  1. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. staff — employees
  3. pit — in a race
  4. tube — the underground
  5. tube — a container
  6. staff — employees
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. lean — thin
  10. staff — a stick
  11. pit — a hole
  12. bulb — for light
  13. cold — an illness
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. lean — to bend
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. bore — to drill
  18. rash — hasty
  19. cold — not warm
  20. bulb — for light
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. bore — to tire
  23. rash — a series
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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