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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: cap · bore · spring · present · ball · bark · wound · bulb

  1. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. bore — to tire
  3. present — there
  4. present — the time now
  5. ball — a great time
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. ball — a dance
  8. cap — of ice
  9. cap — a hat
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. spring — the season
  12. spring — a coil
  13. bore — to drill
  14. bulb — for light
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. spring — of water
  17. cap — a lid
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. bark — to shout
  20. present — a gift
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. wound — an injury
  23. wound — an injury
  24. bulb — for light

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