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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: cap · bass · prune · shower · drill · bore · date · rash

  1. Have you settled on a ________________?
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. drill — the tool
  4. prune — to trim
  5. shower — rain
  6. rash — a series
  7. cap — of ice
  8. cap — a hat
  9. prune — to trim
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. bore — to tire
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. cap — a lid
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. drill — a practice
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. drill — army training
  19. bass — low music
  20. date — the fruit
  21. bore — to drill
  22. rash — hasty
  23. bass — the fish
  24. shower — to wash

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