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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. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. bear — the animal
  5. mark — a grade
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. bear — the animal
  9. tube — the underground
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. pop — to visit
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. tube — a container
  16. shower — rain
  17. shower — to wash
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. dip — to sink
  20. pop — music
  21. mark — a trace
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. pop — soda
  24. branch — a division

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