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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. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. bear — the animal
  4. shower — to wash
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. cell — in biology
  7. saw — the tool
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. bear — the animal
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. saw — the tool
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. shower — rain
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. bore — to tire
  20. cell — a phone
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. bore — to drill
  24. pitcher — a jug

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