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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: ball · bulb · bore · bear · spell · chip · chest · mate

  1. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. spell — letters
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. chip — to eat
  5. chip — for betting
  6. spell — magic
  7. bear — the animal
  8. spell — a short time
  9. bear — the animal
  10. chest — of your body
  11. ball — a great time
  12. bulb — for light
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. bore — to tire
  15. bore — to drill
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. ball — a dance
  18. mate — a friend
  19. chest — a box
  20. mate — a partner
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. bulb — for light
  23. mate — to breed
  24. chip — in a computer

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