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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: bore · roll · cabinet · bulb · last · shower · club · wound

  1. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. We're on a ________________ here.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — a cupboard
  2. club — for dancing
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. club — a group
  5. roll — on a roll
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. wound — an injury
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. shower — rain
  10. last — to go on
  11. bore — to tire
  12. bore — to drill
  13. bulb — for light
  14. shower — to wash
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. wound — an injury
  17. bulb — for light
  18. last — finally
  19. roll — a cake
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. roll — a list
  22. last — final
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. club — for golf

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