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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. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. rash — a series
  3. spring — the season
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. spring — a coil
  8. shower — rain
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. net — in sport
  11. rest — what's left
  12. rest — a break
  13. net — after costs
  14. net — for catching
  15. rock — a stone
  16. shower — to wash
  17. rock — music
  18. wound — an injury
  19. rest — what's left
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. spring — of water
  22. wax — to grow
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. wound — an injury

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