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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. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  24. Should I buy a wireless ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. can — to be able to
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. can — a tin
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. tear — from crying
  11. bore — to drill
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. bore — to tire
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. shower — rain
  18. can — a tin
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. tear — to rip
  22. tear — from crying
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. mouse — for a computer

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