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

  1. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. We're on a ________________ here.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. roll — on a roll
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. rush — hurry
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. roll — a list
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. board — to get on
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. bear — the animal
  15. band — a ring
  16. board — a committee
  17. roll — a cake
  18. band — a music group
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. shower — to wash
  22. mine — for digging
  23. board — a flat piece
  24. bear — the animal

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