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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 potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  24. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. bore — to tire
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. plane — a tool
  5. stem — to come from
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. mug — a cup
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. bore — to drill
  10. plane — in geometry
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. mug — to rob
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. present — a gift
  18. chip — for betting
  19. shower — rain
  20. shower — to wash
  21. present — the time now
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. present — there
  24. mug — a face

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