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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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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: rule · bulb · deal · fan · stick · bore · kid · club

  1. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. bore — to tire
  3. club — a group
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. deal — to handle
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. bore — to drill
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. rule — a law
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. rule — government
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. bulb — for light
  18. club — for golf
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. club — for dancing
  23. bulb — for light
  24. kid — to tease

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