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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: mate · spring · rash · hide · firm · bark · bore · bulb

  1. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. mate — a partner
  3. mate — a friend
  4. spring — a coil
  5. rash — hasty
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. bulb — for light
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. bulb — for light
  10. mate — to breed
  11. rash — a series
  12. bore — to tire
  13. firm — decided
  14. spring — of water
  15. bore — to drill
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. firm — steady
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. firm — a company
  20. bark — to shout
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. spring — the season
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. rash — on the skin

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