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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. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. clip — a video
  3. shower — to wash
  4. spring — the season
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. spell — a short time
  7. clip — to cut
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. spring — of water
  13. spell — magic
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. branch — a division
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. rest — what's left
  18. spell — letters
  19. rest — a break
  20. spring — a coil
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. rest — what's left
  23. safe — a strongbox
  24. clip — for paper

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