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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. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. tear — from crying
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. tear — from crying
  6. kid — to tease
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. kid — child
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. shower — rain
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. bore — to drill
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. tear — to rip
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. shower — to wash
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. bore — to tire

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