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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 · straw · kick · shower · prune · bore · rock · bass

  1. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. bore — to drill
  3. bass — low music
  4. bass — the fish
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. shower — rain
  8. bear — the animal
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. kick — in football
  13. prune — to trim
  14. bore — to tire
  15. prune — to trim
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. rock — a stone
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. bear — the animal
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. shower — to wash
  24. rock — music

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