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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: tear · net · scale · roll · saw · bore · bulb · pitch

  1. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. We're on a ________________ here.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. tear — from crying
  4. bore — to tire
  5. scale — in music
  6. roll — on a roll
  7. tear — from crying
  8. pitch — completely
  9. scale — size or range
  10. bulb — for light
  11. bore — to drill
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. tear — to rip
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. saw — the tool
  17. bulb — for light
  18. net — for catching
  19. roll — a list
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. net — in sport
  22. saw — the tool
  23. roll — a cake
  24. net — after costs

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