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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 120 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: bulb · file · bore · leaves · rest · tear · mine · bank

  1. I've got to change the light ________________.
  2. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  16. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. bore — to drill
  3. bulb — for light
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. mine — for digging
  8. file — a line of people
  9. file — a tool
  10. tear — to rip
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. tear — from crying
  13. bore — to tire
  14. rest — what's left
  15. bank — for money
  16. bank — of a river
  17. file — a document
  18. tear — from crying
  19. rest — what's left
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. bank — for money
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. rest — a break

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