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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. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  20. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  24. I have a corn on my right ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. foot — the bottom
  3. row — a line
  4. prune — to trim
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. club — for golf
  7. wound — an injury
  8. shower — rain
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. row — to paddle
  12. prune — to trim
  13. toast — the most admired
  14. wound — an injury
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. club — for dancing
  17. bore — to drill
  18. club — a group
  19. toast — a drink to someone
  20. foot — a measure
  21. bore — to tire
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. toast — bread
  24. foot — part of the body

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