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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: lie · bulb · arm · bore · file · mark · pitcher · row

  1. He is an ace ________________.
  2. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. mark — a trace
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. file — a line of people
  6. bulb — for light
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. bulb — for light
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. mark — a grade
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. file — a document
  18. row — to paddle
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. file — a tool
  21. bore — to drill
  22. bore — to tire
  23. row — a line
  24. lie — to recline

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