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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: bore · racket · stock · current · prune · shower · ball · drill

  1. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. drill — a practice
  3. drill — the tool
  4. shower — rain
  5. ball — a dance
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. drill — army training
  11. current — happening now
  12. stock — shares
  13. ball — a great time
  14. stock — goods
  15. shower — to wash
  16. prune — to trim
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. bore — to drill
  19. prune — to trim
  20. current — electric
  21. current — of water
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. racket — for tennis

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