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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. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. Where did you ________________ them?
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. pit — in a race
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. shower — to wash
  6. cold — an illness
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. mug — a cup
  9. bear — the animal
  10. key — for a lock
  11. key — the most important part
  12. shower — rain
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. key — in music
  15. bear — the animal
  16. wax — to grow
  17. mug — a face
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. pit — a hole
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. branch — a division
  23. mug — to rob
  24. cold — not warm

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