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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.

Words on the sheet
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: mine · club · bore · shower · bulb · bark · toast · object

  1. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  12. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. toast — the most admired
  2. object — to protest
  3. bulb — for light
  4. club — a group
  5. bulb — for light
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. shower — to wash
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. toast — a drink to someone
  10. shower — rain
  11. object — a thing
  12. object — an aim
  13. mine — for digging
  14. club — for dancing
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. bore — to drill
  17. club — for golf
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. toast — bread
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. bark — to shout
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. bore — to tire

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