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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 116 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. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. stem — to come from
  5. bore — to drill
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. rest — what's left
  9. rest — a break
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. shower — to wash
  14. mine — for digging
  15. shower — rain
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. rush — hurry
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. bore — to tire
  21. rest — what's left
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. mine — belonging to me

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