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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: present · roll · pound · wind · object · shower · bore · lie

  1. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. We're on a ________________ here.
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  22. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. bore — to drill
  3. lie — to recline
  4. shower — rain
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. object — to protest
  7. roll — a list
  8. pound — a weight
  9. wind — moving air
  10. roll — on a roll
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. present — the time now
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. bore — to tire
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. wind — moving air
  19. roll — a cake
  20. present — a gift
  21. object — an aim
  22. object — a thing
  23. present — there
  24. wind — to turn a key

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