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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. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. wake — a trail
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. prune — to trim
  6. prune — to trim
  7. shower — rain
  8. drill — army training
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. shower — to wash
  12. drill — a practice
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. rest — what's left
  16. dip — to sink
  17. rest — a break
  18. rest — what's left
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. bore — to drill
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. drill — the tool
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. cabinet — ministers

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