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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. False peace will not ________________.
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  4. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. mate — to breed
  3. bank — for money
  4. bank — of a river
  5. stand — to bear
  6. wound — an injury
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. wound — an injury
  10. stand — for spectators
  11. last — final
  12. bore — to tire
  13. last — finally
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. shower — to wash
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. shower — rain
  19. mate — a friend
  20. bank — for money
  21. mate — a partner
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. bore — to drill
  24. bowl — a football final

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