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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: bore · last · fan · kid · bulb · wake · bat · root

  1. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. kid — to tease
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. bulb — for light
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. bore — to tire
  10. bulb — for light
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. kid — child
  13. bore — to drill
  14. last — to go on
  15. wake — a trail
  16. root — of a plant
  17. last — finally
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. last — final
  21. bat — the animal
  22. root — the cause
  23. bat — in an idiom
  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