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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: shower · wound · bay · scale · spell · bound · clip · bore

  1. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. My mare is ________________ in color.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. clip — a video
  4. spell — letters
  5. wound — an injury
  6. bay — a part of the sea
  7. bore — to drill
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. scale — size or range
  10. bay — a horse colour
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. scale — in music
  13. bound — obliged
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. bound — tied together
  16. clip — for paper
  17. bay — to keep at bay
  18. clip — to cut
  19. spell — a short time
  20. spell — magic
  21. wound — an injury
  22. shower — to wash
  23. bore — to tire
  24. bound — certain

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