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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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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: toast · rule · row · bore · mouse · stem · shower · chair

  1. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  6. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. shower — rain
  4. shower — to wash
  5. mouse — for a computer
  6. toast — a drink to someone
  7. rule — a law
  8. bore — to drill
  9. bore — to tire
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. rule — government
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. row — a line
  16. chair — a leader
  17. toast — the most admired
  18. stem — to come from
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. toast — bread
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. bore — gave birth
  24. row — to paddle

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