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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. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. tube — a container
  3. lean — thin
  4. cap — a hat
  5. cap — of ice
  6. wind — moving air
  7. shower — to wash
  8. wind — moving air
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. tube — the underground
  11. chip — to eat
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. shower — rain
  15. chip — for betting
  16. cap — a lid
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. lean — to bend
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. prune — to trim
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. prune — to trim

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