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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 124 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. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  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. mouse — the animal
  2. spring — of water
  3. row — to paddle
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. shower — to wash
  6. mate — a partner
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. bore — to drill
  10. mate — to breed
  11. row — a line
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. shower — rain
  14. spring — the season
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. mouse — for a computer
  19. bore — to tire
  20. spring — a coil
  21. dip — to sink
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. mate — a friend
  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