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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. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. shower — rain
  3. rock — music
  4. spell — letters
  5. spring — of water
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. lie — to recline
  8. shower — to wash
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. rock — a stone
  11. spell — magic
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. spring — a coil
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. plane — a tool
  21. spring — the season
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. fan — a supporter

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