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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: dip · track · bulb · ground · land · kid · spring · bore

  1. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. bulb — for light
  3. ground — a position
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. track — a song
  6. land — ground
  7. ground — the earth
  8. land — to come down
  9. bore — to drill
  10. track — a path
  11. land — a country
  12. track — to keep track
  13. kid — to tease
  14. bore — to tire
  15. dip — to sink
  16. kid — child
  17. spring — of water
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. spring — the season
  20. bulb — for light
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. ground — crushed
  24. spring — a coil

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