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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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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: fan · content · spring · dip · bore · board · bulb · mine

  1. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. mine — for digging
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. content — happy
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. spring — of water
  10. board — a committee
  11. bulb — for light
  12. bore — to drill
  13. content — the amount
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. spring — a coil
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. spring — the season
  19. bore — to tire
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. bulb — for light
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. dip — to sink
  24. board — to get on

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