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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: temple · content · wound · last · bore · shower · kid · stick

  1. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. When was this ________________ built?
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. wound — an injury
  3. kid — to tease
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. shower — to wash
  7. bore — to drill
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. content — happy
  10. last — to go on
  11. kid — child
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. wound — an injury
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. last — final
  18. temple — side of the head
  19. last — finally
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. content — the amount
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. bore — to tire
  24. bore — gave birth

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