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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: nail · last · pop · bore · bulb · sharp · cue · field

  1. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. pop — music
  3. bore — to tire
  4. field — for sport
  5. cue — a hint
  6. cue — a signal
  7. last — final
  8. field — a subject
  9. bulb — for light
  10. pop — to visit
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. last — finally
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. field — farmland
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. sharp — clever
  19. bulb — for light
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. last — to go on
  23. cue — for pool
  24. bore — to drill

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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