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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 116 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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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: bay · row · straw · bulb · perch · mine · bore · swing

  1. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. bore — to drill
  3. bore — to tire
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. row — to paddle
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. bay — a part of the sea
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. bay — to keep at bay
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. swing — in golf
  12. bulb — for light
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. row — a line
  15. bulb — for light
  16. mine — for digging
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. perch — the fish
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. swing — to play on
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. swing — music

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