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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. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. pop — soda
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. march — the month
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. bore — to tire
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. march — the month
  9. tube — a container
  10. band — a ring
  11. bore — to drill
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. pop — music
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. shower — to wash
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. shower — rain
  20. tube — the underground
  21. march — music
  22. band — a music group
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. wake — a trail

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