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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. shower — rain
  3. bore — to drill
  4. prune — to trim
  5. lean — thin
  6. cold — an illness
  7. prune — to trim
  8. spell — a short time
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. bore — to tire
  11. lean — to bend
  12. spell — letters
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. spell — magic
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. cold — not warm
  20. bowl — to roll
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. bowl — a dish
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. shower — to wash

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