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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. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  22. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. club — for golf
  5. spring — of water
  6. cell — a phone
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. club — for dancing
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. club — a group
  11. band — a ring
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. band — a music group
  15. firm — a company
  16. spring — a coil
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. cell — in biology
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. firm — steady
  22. firm — decided
  23. spring — the season
  24. shower — rain

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