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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. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  14. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. wave — a sudden rise
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. can — a tin
  8. can — to be able to
  9. wound — an injury
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. bore — to tire
  13. wave — of the sea
  14. pass — a permit
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. wound — an injury
  19. can — a tin
  20. bore — to drill
  21. pass — to succeed
  22. shower — rain
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. wave — with your hand

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