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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. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  16. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  22. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. spring — of water
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. object — an aim
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. stand — on your feet
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. band — a music group
  9. stand — for spectators
  10. spring — a coil
  11. shower — to wash
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. face — to confront
  14. stand — to bear
  15. safe — a strongbox
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. face — part of the head
  18. face — to point toward
  19. spring — the season
  20. band — a ring
  21. object — to protest
  22. object — a thing
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. band — a rubber band

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