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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. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. spell — magic
  3. craft — boats
  4. net — in sport
  5. rest — what's left
  6. face — to point toward
  7. spring — of water
  8. spring — a coil
  9. net — after costs
  10. spell — letters
  11. face — part of the head
  12. rest — a break
  13. craft — a skill
  14. face — to confront
  15. craft — a handicraft
  16. shower — rain
  17. pound — a weight
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. pound — to hit hard
  20. rest — what's left
  21. shower — to wash
  22. spell — a short time
  23. spring — the season
  24. net — for catching

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