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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 120 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 · stem · hand · can · shower · sharp · fork · wake

  1. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to drill
  2. wake — a trail
  3. shower — to wash
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. bore — to tire
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. can — a tin
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. fork — in a road
  11. sharp — clever
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. can — to be able to
  14. hand — in cards
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. stem — to come from
  20. shower — rain
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. hand — help
  23. bore — gave birth
  24. can — a tin

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