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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: kid · row · wake · mark · fan · date · dip · bore

  1. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  2. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. Have you settled on a ________________?
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. date — the fruit
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. mark — a grade
  8. kid — to tease
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. row — a line
  11. bore — to tire
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. kid — child
  16. bore — to drill
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. wake — a trail
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. mark — a trace
  22. row — to paddle
  23. dip — to sink
  24. date — on the calendar

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