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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 116 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. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  2. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. vault — a safe
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. shower — to wash
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. wound — an injury
  7. bore — to drill
  8. bore — to tire
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. shower — rain
  16. chair — a leader
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. prune — to trim
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. prune — to trim
  23. wound — an injury
  24. snap — to click

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