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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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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. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. bore — to tire
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. squash — the sport
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. bore — to drill
  11. shower — to wash
  12. tube — the underground
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. fork — in a road
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. pass — to succeed
  19. squash — to crush
  20. pass — a permit
  21. shower — rain
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. bore — gave birth

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