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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. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. I can't ________________ this cold.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. spring — of water
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. stand — for spectators
  6. mine — for digging
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. spring — the season
  9. wax — to grow
  10. can — a tin
  11. content — the amount
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. stand — to bear
  14. content — happy
  15. shower — to wash
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. stand — on your feet
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. spring — a coil
  20. can — to be able to
  21. lie — to recline
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. can — a tin
  24. shower — rain

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