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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.

Make a worksheet

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: mug · bore · squash · cold · perch · shower · saw · calf

  1. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. perch — the fish
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. mug — to rob
  9. cold — an illness
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. saw — the tool
  12. bore — to drill
  13. cold — not warm
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. mug — a cup
  17. saw — the tool
  18. shower — to wash
  19. bore — to tire
  20. squash — the sport
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. shower — rain
  23. mug — a face
  24. squash — to crush

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