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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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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: fan · trunk · bore · bat · mug · wind · bulb · wake

  1. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. bulb — for light
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. mug — a face
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. bore — to tire
  14. bat — the animal
  15. wake — a trail
  16. bulb — for light
  17. wind — moving air
  18. mug — a cup
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. wind — moving air
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. mug — to rob
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. bore — to drill

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