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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. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  16. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. shower — rain
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. bark — to shout
  5. game — wild animals
  6. wave — of the sea
  7. wound — an injury
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. face — to confront
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. wound — an injury
  13. game — a match
  14. face — to point toward
  15. racket — a loud noise
  16. wave — a sudden rise
  17. bore — to drill
  18. bore — to tire
  19. wave — with your hand
  20. face — part of the head
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. shower — to wash
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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