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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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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: wind · bore · swing · shower · lie · bay · mine · fall

  1. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  2. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. My mare is ________________ in color.
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  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. bore — gave birth
  2. bay — to keep at bay
  3. wind — moving air
  4. shower — to wash
  5. fall — the season
  6. swing — in golf
  7. mine — for digging
  8. fall — to drop
  9. bore — to drill
  10. bay — a horse colour
  11. lie — to recline
  12. shower — rain
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. bay — a part of the sea
  15. swing — music
  16. swing — to play on
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. fall — to drop
  22. bore — to tire
  23. wind — moving air
  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