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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. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. We're on a ________________ here.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. spring — of water
  3. lean — to bend
  4. shower — rain
  5. roll — a list
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. lean — thin
  8. mug — a cup
  9. scale — size or range
  10. plane — a tool
  11. cell — a phone
  12. scale — in music
  13. roll — on a roll
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. cell — in biology
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. mug — to rob
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. mug — a face
  21. spring — the season
  22. shower — to wash
  23. roll — a cake
  24. spring — a coil

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