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

Word bank: bore · march · pop · drill · shower · present · perch · dip

  1. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. bore — to drill
  3. drill — army training
  4. march — music
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. perch — the fish
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. present — the time now
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. march — the month
  11. bore — to tire
  12. pop — music
  13. drill — the tool
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. shower — rain
  16. present — there
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. present — a gift
  19. dip — to sink
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. pop — to visit
  22. pop — soda
  23. drill — a practice
  24. shower — to wash

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