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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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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: date · shower · wake · bowl · last · press · toast · bore

  1. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. Have you settled on a ________________?
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — bread
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. toast — a drink to someone
  4. wake — a trail
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. last — finally
  7. toast — the most admired
  8. shower — to wash
  9. shower — rain
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. last — final
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. press — newspapers
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. press — to push
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. press — a publisher
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. date — the fruit
  22. bore — to drill
  23. bore — to tire
  24. last — to go on

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