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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. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. rock — a stone
  4. scale — in music
  5. scale — size or range
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. squash — to crush
  10. rock — music
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. stock — goods
  14. shower — to wash
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. clip — a video
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. clip — for paper
  21. squash — the sport
  22. clip — to cut
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. stock — shares

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