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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 120 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: bear · bulb · game · tube · face · ball · bore · fan

  1. I'll be taking the ________________.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. bore — to tire
  3. ball — a great time
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. bore — to drill
  6. game — wild animals
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. bulb — for light
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. face — to confront
  11. bulb — for light
  12. bear — the animal
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. face — part of the head
  19. ball — a dance
  20. tube — a container
  21. game — a match
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. face — to point toward
  24. bear — the animal

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