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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. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. march — the month
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. bore — to drill
  6. shower — rain
  7. content — happy
  8. march — music
  9. prune — to trim
  10. content — the amount
  11. season — of the year
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. pound — a weight
  14. march — the month
  15. mug — to rob
  16. prune — to trim
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. shower — to wash
  19. mug — a face
  20. bore — to tire
  21. mug — a cup
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. season — in sport
  24. pound — to hit hard

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