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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: dip · file · prune · ground · fall · bore · shower · toast

  1. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to drill
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. shower — to wash
  4. fall — to drop
  5. bore — to tire
  6. shower — rain
  7. toast — bread
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. ground — the earth
  11. prune — to trim
  12. file — a tool
  13. file — a document
  14. fall — to drop
  15. file — a line of people
  16. ground — a position
  17. fall — the season
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. toast — the most admired
  20. ground — crushed
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. toast — a drink to someone
  23. dip — to sink
  24. prune — to trim

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