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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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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: plane · bore · straw · sharp · shower · mate · hide · board

  1. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. The ________________ took off on time.
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. mate — a partner
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. plane — an aircraft
  5. board — a committee
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. shower — to wash
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. mate — a friend
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. mate — to breed
  13. sharp — clever
  14. plane — a tool
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. bore — to drill
  20. board — to get on
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. bore — to tire
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. bore — gave birth

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