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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. That must've been a ________________.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. pound — a weight
  7. wound — an injury
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. rush — hurry
  11. wound — an injury
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. scale — size or range
  16. bulb — for light
  17. bulb — for light
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. pound — for dogs
  23. scale — in music
  24. leaves — of a tree

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