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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. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. When will it ________________ you to start?
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. bore — to drill
  3. shower — to wash
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. suit — to fit
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. suit — in cards
  10. stem — to come from
  11. tube — the underground
  12. tube — a container
  13. shower — rain
  14. bore — to tire
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. band — a ring
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. suit — clothes
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. band — a music group

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