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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. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. bass — the fish
  3. mark — a grade
  4. mate — a friend
  5. band — a ring
  6. bore — to tire
  7. lean — to bend
  8. lean — thin
  9. mate — to breed
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. mark — a trace
  13. band — a music group
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. bass — low music
  17. shower — to wash
  18. ground — crushed
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. mate — a partner
  21. ground — a position
  22. ground — the earth
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. bore — to drill

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