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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: nail · bulb · leaves · stem · bore · toast · drill · cold

  1. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  2. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. toast — the most admired
  4. cold — an illness
  5. bulb — for light
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. drill — the tool
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. bore — to drill
  10. stem — to come from
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. toast — a drink to someone
  13. cold — not warm
  14. toast — bread
  15. drill — army training
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. bore — to tire
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. drill — a practice
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. bulb — for light
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. bulb — of a plant

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