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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: bark · bulb · bear · roll · kid · cell · bore · shower

  1. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. We're on a ________________ here.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. roll — a list
  3. bear — the animal
  4. cell — a phone
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. cell — in biology
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. bark — to shout
  10. kid — child
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. roll — a cake
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. shower — to wash
  15. kid — to tease
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. roll — on a roll
  18. bore — to tire
  19. bulb — for light
  20. bore — to drill
  21. shower — rain
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. bulb — for light
  24. bear — the animal

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