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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: bore · stand · wake · stick · snap · shower · coach · craft

  1. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. shower — rain
  3. stand — for spectators
  4. bore — to tire
  5. craft — boats
  6. stand — to bear
  7. snap — to click
  8. craft — a handicraft
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. wake — a trail
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. stand — on your feet
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. shower — to wash
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. bore — to drill
  22. craft — a skill
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. coach — a trainer

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