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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 · rest · present · bore · track · pop · spring · shower

  1. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. pop — to visit
  3. bulb — for light
  4. track — a song
  5. rest — a break
  6. shower — rain
  7. bulb — for light
  8. present — a gift
  9. track — a path
  10. shower — to wash
  11. rest — what's left
  12. pop — soda
  13. bore — to tire
  14. spring — of water
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. track — to keep track
  17. spring — the season
  18. present — there
  19. present — the time now
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. rest — what's left
  23. bore — to drill
  24. spring — a coil

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