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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. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. chest — of your body
  6. cue — a signal
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. pound — to hit hard
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. pound — a weight
  11. chest — a box
  12. cue — for pool
  13. prune — to trim
  14. wind — moving air
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. prune — to trim
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. cue — a hint
  19. wind — moving air
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. chest — of your body
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. shower — to wash
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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