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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. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. shower — rain
  4. kid — child
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. bank — for money
  7. shower — to wash
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. ground — a position
  10. mine — for digging
  11. bank — for money
  12. ground — the earth
  13. rest — what's left
  14. bank — of a river
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. rest — what's left
  17. kid — to tease
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. rest — a break
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. spell — magic
  22. ground — crushed
  23. spell — letters
  24. lash — an eyelash

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