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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. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. When was this ________________ built?
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. My mare is ________________ in color.
  10. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. bulb — for light
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. prune — to trim
  9. bay — a horse colour
  10. bay — to keep at bay
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. temple — side of the head
  13. march — the month
  14. march — the month
  15. shower — to wash
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. cold — an illness
  19. prune — to trim
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. cold — not warm
  22. bulb — for light
  23. march — music
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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