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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.

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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: mate · land · bulb · cold · drill · bowl · vault · bore

  1. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — an arched ceiling
  2. drill — the tool
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. bore — to tire
  5. bulb — for light
  6. drill — a practice
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. land — to come down
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. cold — an illness
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. bulb — for light
  13. mate — a partner
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. mate — a friend
  16. vault — a safe
  17. drill — army training
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. bore — to drill
  20. mate — to breed
  21. land — ground
  22. cold — not warm
  23. land — a country
  24. bowl — a football final

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