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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: dip · rule · date · wind · roll · squash · shower · bore

  1. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  2. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  3. We're on a ________________ here.
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. Have you settled on a ________________?
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. roll — on a roll
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. squash — to crush
  7. date — the fruit
  8. bore — to drill
  9. roll — a cake
  10. wind — moving air
  11. roll — a list
  12. rule — a law
  13. squash — the sport
  14. rule — government
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. bore — to tire
  18. shower — rain
  19. wind — moving air
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. shower — to wash
  23. dip — to sink
  24. wind — to turn a key

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