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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: fall · game · content · pitcher · kick · spring · bore · bulb

  1. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. bore — to drill
  5. fall — to drop
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. bulb — for light
  8. bore — to tire
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. spring — the season
  11. kick — in football
  12. content — the amount
  13. spring — of water
  14. game — wild animals
  15. spring — a coil
  16. content — happy
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. bulb — for light
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. game — a match
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. fall — to drop

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