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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. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  15. When was this ________________ built?
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  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. bore — gave birth
  2. shower — rain
  3. ground — crushed
  4. ground — a position
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. rash — a series
  7. wind — moving air
  8. mate — a friend
  9. ground — the earth
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. stem — to come from
  12. bore — to tire
  13. mate — to breed
  14. temple — side of the head
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. wind — moving air
  17. bore — to drill
  18. mate — a partner
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. rash — hasty
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. temple — a place of worship
  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