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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. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  20. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. wound — an injury
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. perch — the fish
  6. bore — to drill
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. content — the amount
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. bore — to tire
  11. row — to paddle
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. wave — with your hand
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. wound — an injury
  18. shower — to wash
  19. wave — a sudden rise
  20. wave — of the sea
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. content — happy
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. row — a line

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