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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. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. bear — the animal
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. shower — rain
  5. cue — a hint
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. spell — a short time
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. wake — a trail
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. bear — the animal
  12. scale — in music
  13. cue — a signal
  14. scale — size or range
  15. spell — letters
  16. cue — for pool
  17. prune — to trim
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. spell — magic
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. prune — to trim
  23. stock — shares
  24. stock — goods

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