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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: bore · ball · kick · trunk · plane · shower · cold · leaves

  1. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. The ________________ took off on time.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. shower — to wash
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. cold — not warm
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. plane — in geometry
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. ball — a dance
  12. bore — to tire
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. bore — to drill
  16. kick — in football
  17. plane — a tool
  18. plane — an aircraft
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. ball — a great time
  23. shower — rain
  24. cold — an illness

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