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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. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. spring — of water
  3. prune — to trim
  4. spring — the season
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. tear — from crying
  7. court — for sport
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. court — of law
  11. tear — from crying
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. court — of a king
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. bore — to drill
  16. tear — to rip
  17. shower — to wash
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. shower — rain
  20. prune — to trim
  21. bore — to tire
  22. spring — a coil
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. bowl — a dish

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