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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: fan · rock · bore · rash · present · dip · bowl · ground

  1. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. rash — a series
  5. bore — to drill
  6. rock — music
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. ground — crushed
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. ground — the earth
  13. rash — hasty
  14. present — the time now
  15. bore — to tire
  16. rock — a stone
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. ground — a position
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. dip — to sink
  24. present — a gift

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