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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. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  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. shower — a meteor shower
  2. bore — to drill
  3. mug — to rob
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. cold — not warm
  6. shower — rain
  7. tube — the underground
  8. squash — to crush
  9. chest — a box
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. mug — a cup
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. chest — of your body
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. squash — the sport
  16. cold — an illness
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. prune — to trim
  19. prune — to trim
  20. mug — a face
  21. shower — to wash
  22. tube — a container
  23. chest — of your body
  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