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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: bulb · coach · file · bore · prune · row · mate · net

  1. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. mate — a friend
  4. bulb — for light
  5. file — a tool
  6. row — a line
  7. mate — a partner
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. row — to paddle
  10. file — a line of people
  11. prune — to trim
  12. bulb — for light
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. net — after costs
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. bore — to drill
  17. mate — to breed
  18. net — for catching
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. file — a document
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. net — in sport
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. prune — to trim

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