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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: saw · bulb · root · safe · bore · file · row · wound

  1. I've got to change the light ________________.
  2. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. bore — to drill
  3. wound — an injury
  4. bore — to tire
  5. saw — the tool
  6. row — to paddle
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. bulb — for light
  11. file — a document
  12. saw — the tool
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. row — a line
  15. root — of a plant
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. wound — an injury
  18. file — a tool
  19. safe — a strongbox
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. root — the cause
  23. file — a line of people
  24. root — of a word

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