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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 120 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. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  18. I can't ________________ this cold.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  21. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. kid — to tease
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. bore — to drill
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. firm — steady
  14. bore — to tire
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. firm — a company
  18. stand — to bear
  19. shower — to wash
  20. firm — decided
  21. stand — on your feet
  22. shower — rain
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. hide — to keep secret

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