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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: fan · squash · bulb · field · bore · cabinet · kid · trunk

  1. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. kid — child
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. field — for sport
  5. kid — to tease
  6. squash — to crush
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. bulb — for light
  9. bulb — for light
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. squash — the sport
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. bore — to drill
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. field — farmland
  17. field — a subject
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. cabinet — ministers

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