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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 116 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: wound · sharp · present · shower · pit · calf · bore · coach

  1. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. present — a gift
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. pit — in a race
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. present — the time now
  10. wound — an injury
  11. bore — to drill
  12. pit — a hole
  13. shower — to wash
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. present — there
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. bore — to tire
  21. shower — rain
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. sharp — clever
  24. wound — an injury

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