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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: rash · bore · bulb · staff · bark · jam · drill · capital

  1. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. rash — hasty
  3. bulb — for light
  4. bark — to shout
  5. drill — a practice
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. bulb — for light
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. jam — in traffic
  10. staff — a stick
  11. capital — a city
  12. drill — army training
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. bore — to tire
  15. jam — a tight spot
  16. staff — employees
  17. rash — a series
  18. staff — employees
  19. jam — to spread on bread
  20. capital — money
  21. bore — to drill
  22. drill — the tool
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. bore — gave birth

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