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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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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: bore · chest · bear · bat · dip · shower · chip · bay

  1. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  6. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. My mare is ________________ in color.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. bear — the animal
  3. chest — a box
  4. shower — to wash
  5. bay — a part of the sea
  6. chip — for betting
  7. bear — the animal
  8. shower — rain
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. bay — to keep at bay
  11. chest — of your body
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. bay — a horse colour
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. chest — of your body
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. chip — to eat
  18. bat — the animal
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. dip — to sink
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. bore — to tire
  23. bore — to drill
  24. bore — gave birth

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