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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 120 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 was a fun ________________.
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. shower — rain
  4. band — a ring
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. bear — the animal
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. band — a music group
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. wake — a trail
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. game — wild animals
  15. bear — the animal
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. bulb — for light
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. shower — to wash
  23. bulb — for light
  24. cabinet — ministers

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