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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: bore · bulb · stick · wax · spring · can · mug · pound

  1. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. mug — a cup
  3. mug — to rob
  4. bore — to drill
  5. bulb — for light
  6. bore — to tire
  7. wax — to grow
  8. spring — a coil
  9. can — a tin
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. can — to be able to
  13. can — a tin
  14. mug — a face
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. pound — to hit hard
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. bulb — for light
  19. pound — a weight
  20. spring — the season
  21. spring — of water
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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