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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.

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: last · spell · club · shower · bore · bay · wound · foot

  1. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — the bottom
  2. wound — an injury
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. bore — to tire
  5. foot — a measure
  6. shower — to wash
  7. last — final
  8. bay — a part of the sea
  9. wound — an injury
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. spell — magic
  12. club — for golf
  13. spell — letters
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. spell — a short time
  17. bore — to drill
  18. last — to go on
  19. shower — rain
  20. club — a group
  21. foot — part of the body
  22. last — finally
  23. club — for dancing
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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