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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: bulb · cold · spell · bore · cue · capital · mug · object

  1. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. Where did you ________________ them?
  24. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to drill
  2. spell — magic
  3. object — an aim
  4. mug — a face
  5. mug — a cup
  6. capital — a city
  7. spell — letters
  8. bulb — for light
  9. bulb — for light
  10. capital — money
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. cue — a signal
  13. spell — a short time
  14. cue — a hint
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. cold — an illness
  17. cue — for pool
  18. object — to protest
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. cold — not warm
  21. object — a thing
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. mug — to rob
  24. bore — to tire

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