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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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: toast · bass · straw · mine · bark · date · bore · shower

  1. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  2. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. Have you settled on a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. date — the fruit
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. toast — a drink to someone
  4. bore — to tire
  5. toast — the most admired
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. shower — to wash
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. bass — the fish
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. shower — rain
  14. bass — low music
  15. mine — for digging
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. toast — bread
  20. bark — to shout
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. bore — to drill
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. date — on the calendar

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