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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.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. track — a song
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. spring — of water
  8. spring — a coil
  9. shower — rain
  10. wake — a trail
  11. spring — the season
  12. shower — to wash
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. staff — a stick
  16. track — a path
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. staff — employees
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. staff — employees
  23. track — to keep track
  24. mine — for digging

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