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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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. bore — to drill
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. bore — to tire
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. shower — to wash
  11. file — a tool
  12. file — a line of people
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. shower — rain
  15. dip — to sink
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. rush — hurry
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. file — a document
  24. calf — a young animal

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