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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 put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  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. band — a rubber band
  2. bore — to drill
  3. shower — rain
  4. safe — a strongbox
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. hand — help
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. bore — to tire
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. shower — to wash
  12. hand — in cards
  13. band — a music group
  14. band — a ring
  15. wound — an injury
  16. perch — the fish
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. fork — in a road
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. wound — an injury
  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