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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.

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: wake · kid · net · shower · bear · present · bore · fan

  1. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  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. kid — to tease
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. wake — a trail
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. shower — rain
  8. kid — child
  9. bear — the animal
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. bear — the animal
  12. present — there
  13. net — for catching
  14. bore — to drill
  15. present — a gift
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. present — the time now
  18. net — in sport
  19. shower — to wash
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. bore — to tire
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. net — after costs
  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