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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: present · track · shower · bore · suit · prune · chair · tube

  1. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. When will it ________________ you to start?
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. suit — in cards
  3. chair — a leader
  4. prune — to trim
  5. prune — to trim
  6. present — a gift
  7. suit — to fit
  8. bore — to tire
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. track — a path
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. track — to keep track
  13. present — the time now
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. tube — a container
  16. suit — clothes
  17. track — a song
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. shower — to wash
  21. bore — to drill
  22. tube — the underground
  23. bore — gave birth
  24. present — there

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