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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 116 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. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  23. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  24. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. shower — rain
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. wave — of the sea
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. bore — to drill
  8. bore — to tire
  9. snap — to click
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. craft — a skill
  14. shower — to wash
  15. wave — with your hand
  16. wake — a trail
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. kick — in football
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. craft — a handicraft
  23. craft — boats
  24. kick — a thrill

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