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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: bear · shower · hide · cabinet · bore · racket · fork · board

  1. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. board — to get on
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. bore — to tire
  8. bear — the animal
  9. bore — to drill
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. board — a committee
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. shower — rain
  18. shower — to wash
  19. fork — in a road
  20. bear — the animal
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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