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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. David sat on the ________________.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  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. swing — to play on
  2. shower — rain
  3. bore — to tire
  4. swing — in golf
  5. prune — to trim
  6. lie — to recline
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. squash — the sport
  12. swing — music
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. wound — an injury
  17. bore — to drill
  18. squash — to crush
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. wound — an injury
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. prune — to trim
  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