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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 116 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. That was a fun ________________.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. The tickets are free of ________________.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. shower — rain
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. spring — a coil
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. charge — a price
  9. bulb — for light
  10. game — wild animals
  11. spring — the season
  12. spell — letters
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. charge — in control
  15. shower — to wash
  16. bulb — for light
  17. spell — a short time
  18. spell — magic
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. charge — electricity
  22. spring — of water
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. branch — a division

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