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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. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. squash — to crush
  3. bear — the animal
  4. bore — to drill
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. stand — to bear
  7. stand — for spectators
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. row — to paddle
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. squash — the sport
  13. stand — on your feet
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. row — a line
  17. tube — the underground
  18. tube — a container
  19. bear — the animal
  20. bore — to tire
  21. dip — to sink
  22. shower — to wash
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. shower — rain

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