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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. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. present — a gift
  4. cap — a hat
  5. shower — rain
  6. lean — to bend
  7. can — a tin
  8. present — there
  9. shower — to wash
  10. can — to be able to
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. present — the time now
  13. bank — for money
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. lean — thin
  16. cap — a lid
  17. kid — child
  18. bore — to drill
  19. kid — to tease
  20. bore — to tire
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. can — a tin
  23. bank — of a river
  24. cap — of ice

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