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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 124 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. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  6. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. shower — to wash
  4. capital — money
  5. bank — of a river
  6. bank — for money
  7. rush — hurry
  8. mark — a grade
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. board — to get on
  11. bore — to tire
  12. squash — to crush
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. bank — for money
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. capital — a city
  19. mark — a trace
  20. squash — the sport
  21. board — a committee
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. shower — rain
  24. bore — to drill

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