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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. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. shower — rain
  3. cap — a lid
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. wind — moving air
  6. bore — to drill
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. shower — to wash
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. bound — tied together
  16. cap — a hat
  17. bound — certain
  18. bound — obliged
  19. tube — a container
  20. tube — the underground
  21. wind — moving air
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. tube — in a tire
  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