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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: race · mine · fork · club · face · pop · bulb · bore

  1. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. race — humankind
  2. club — a group
  3. pop — music
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. bore — to drill
  6. club — for dancing
  7. bulb — for light
  8. pop — to visit
  9. mine — for digging
  10. face — to point toward
  11. club — for golf
  12. fork — in a road
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. race — the arms race
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. pop — soda
  18. face — to confront
  19. face — part of the head
  20. bulb — for light
  21. race — a contest
  22. bore — to tire
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. fork — a garden tool

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