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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: bulb · court · file · hide · spring · rest · mine · drill

  1. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. bulb — for light
  3. rest — a break
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. spring — a coil
  6. spring — of water
  7. file — a document
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. file — a tool
  10. mine — for digging
  11. drill — the tool
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. court — of law
  14. rest — what's left
  15. bulb — for light
  16. spring — the season
  17. file — a line of people
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. court — of a king
  20. rest — what's left
  21. court — for sport
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. drill — a practice
  24. hide — to keep secret

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