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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. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. bore — to tire
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. deal — to handle
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. bear — the animal
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. shower — rain
  12. wake — a trail
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. bore — to drill
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. bear — the animal
  24. shower — to wash

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