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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. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. I can't ________________ this cold.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to drill
  2. prune — to trim
  3. bore — to tire
  4. stand — on your feet
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. prune — to trim
  7. chair — a leader
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. snap — to click
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. stand — for spectators
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. stand — to bear
  21. shower — rain
  22. shower — to wash
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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