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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: safe · rush · march · spell · bass · bulb · row · bore

  1. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. bass — the fish
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. bore — to drill
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. row — a line
  10. march — music
  11. march — the month
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. spell — magic
  14. safe — a strongbox
  15. spell — a short time
  16. row — to paddle
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. bulb — for light
  19. bulb — for light
  20. march — the month
  21. bore — to tire
  22. spell — letters
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. bass — low 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