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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: nail · bear · shower · scale · hide · bat · bore · straw

  1. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. bear — the animal
  6. scale — in music
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. shower — to wash
  12. bat — the animal
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. bore — to drill
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. bore — to tire
  21. bear — the animal
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. shower — rain
  24. scale — size or range

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