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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: stick · bore · wake · suit · bear · date · fall · shower

  1. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  5. Have you settled on a ________________?
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  11. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  12. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. When will it ________________ you to start?
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. fall — to drop
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. wake — a trail
  9. bear — the animal
  10. suit — in cards
  11. date — the fruit
  12. suit — clothes
  13. bear — the animal
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. bore — to tire
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. shower — rain
  18. suit — to fit
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. bore — to drill
  21. fall — to drop
  22. fall — the season
  23. shower — to wash
  24. bore — gave birth

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