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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: spring · face · arm · bore · dip · bulb · rash · file

  1. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. spring — a coil
  4. bulb — for light
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. bore — to tire
  7. bore — to drill
  8. rash — hasty
  9. spring — the season
  10. bulb — for light
  11. dip — to sink
  12. rash — a series
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. file — a line of people
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. spring — of water
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. face — to confront
  20. face — to point toward
  21. file — a document
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. file — a tool
  24. bulb — of a plant

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