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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: capital · bay · spell · bulb · bore · snap · file · ground

  1. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. My mare is ________________ in color.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to snap out of it
  2. ground — a position
  3. bulb — for light
  4. file — a document
  5. bay — a horse colour
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. spell — magic
  8. spell — letters
  9. spell — a short time
  10. ground — crushed
  11. capital — a city
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. bore — to tire
  14. capital — money
  15. bay — a part of the sea
  16. file — a tool
  17. bulb — for light
  18. bay — to keep at bay
  19. file — a line of people
  20. bore — to drill
  21. snap — to click
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. ground — the earth
  24. bore — gave birth

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