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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. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. When was this ________________ built?
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. content — happy
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. chest — of your body
  5. shower — to wash
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. temple — side of the head
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. chest — a box
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. rush — hurry
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. land — to come down
  14. land — a country
  15. land — ground
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. content — the amount
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. chest — of your body
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. branch — a division
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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