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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. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  10. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. When was this ________________ built?
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. bore — to tire
  3. temple — side of the head
  4. bark — to shout
  5. last — final
  6. shower — rain
  7. stand — to bear
  8. last — to go on
  9. plane — a tool
  10. plane — in geometry
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. bore — to drill
  17. last — finally
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. stand — for spectators
  20. kick — in football
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. shower — to wash

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