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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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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: bowl · capital · vault · pop · shower · kick · stem · bore

  1. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. bore — to drill
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. bore — to tire
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. shower — to wash
  8. vault — a safe
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. stem — to come from
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. pop — soda
  14. capital — money
  15. kick — in football
  16. pop — to visit
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. capital — a city
  19. shower — rain
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. bowl — a dish

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