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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 ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. shower — to wash
  3. saw — the tool
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. bulb — for light
  6. spell — a short time
  7. bulb — for light
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. fine — all right
  11. shower — rain
  12. wound — an injury
  13. spell — magic
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. wound — an injury
  17. spell — letters
  18. fine — high quality
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. branch — a division
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. saw — the tool
  24. nail — on a finger

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