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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: leaves · shower · bore · wake · pit · vault · bulb · court

  1. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. vault — an arched ceiling
  3. court — of law
  4. vault — a safe
  5. pit — a hole
  6. shower — to wash
  7. shower — rain
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. wake — a trail
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. court — of a king
  14. court — for sport
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. bore — to drill
  19. pit — a fruit stone
  20. bulb — for light
  21. bulb — for light
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. pit — in a race
  24. leaves — to go away

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