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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: bear · bulb · court · fall · wind · chest · bark · bore

  1. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. chest — of your body
  3. court — of law
  4. fall — the season
  5. bore — to drill
  6. chest — of your body
  7. fall — to drop
  8. bulb — for light
  9. bulb — for light
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. bore — to tire
  12. bear — the animal
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. wind — moving air
  18. court — of a king
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. bear — the animal
  21. bark — to shout
  22. fall — to drop
  23. court — for sport
  24. chest — a box

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