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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 120 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. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. wound — an injury
  4. object — to protest
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. wound — an injury
  7. bore — to drill
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. hand — help
  10. bore — to tire
  11. spring — a coil
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. spring — of water
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. hand — in cards
  16. object — a thing
  17. shower — to wash
  18. bear — the animal
  19. shower — rain
  20. rush — hurry
  21. spring — the season
  22. object — an aim
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. hand — part of the body

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