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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. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  11. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. shower — to wash
  3. pop — to visit
  4. row — to paddle
  5. safe — a strongbox
  6. cap — a lid
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. pop — music
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. bore — to drill
  15. pop — soda
  16. cap — a hat
  17. stem — to come from
  18. dip — to sink
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. cap — of ice
  22. shower — rain
  23. bore — to tire
  24. stem — a stem cell

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