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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: wind · bulb · mug · coach · file · bore · stem · pitcher

  1. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. Where did you ________________ them?
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. wind — moving air
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. bore — to tire
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. bulb — for light
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. bore — to drill
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. wind — moving air
  14. bulb — for light
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. file — a tool
  17. file — a line of people
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. mug — a face
  20. mug — to rob
  21. file — a document
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. bore — gave birth
  24. mug — a cup

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