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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. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. tube — a container
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. bore — to drill
  5. stand — to bear
  6. tube — the underground
  7. bass — the fish
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. stand — on your feet
  10. capital — a city
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. wound — an injury
  14. shower — rain
  15. rest — what's left
  16. capital — money
  17. rest — what's left
  18. bore — to tire
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. rest — a break
  22. bass — low music
  23. wound — an injury
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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